Crosing Fates
by Nitrosnipe
Summary: The story opens with our heroine, Cros, waking up inside a room inside Leanbox's Bascilicom. This is the tale of the girl, who looks like a guy, who would become Leanbox's CPU candidate. Her journeys will take her all over Gamindustri, but what will happen when she sees a different side of the world than what she grew up with? What new threat faces peace?
1. Chapter 1: A New Awakening

_What..? Where am I?_

As I opened my eyes, a blinding light seemed to envelop my body. It felt warm and welcoming, but the burning on my left hand was enough to get me to forget about the pleasant feeling coursing through me. Looking down at the source of the pain, I see a strange symbol burning a bright green color. As the pain started to subside, the light emanating from the brand started to disappear in turn, revealing an opened circle with a line bisecting the space between. It was then I realized that the world around me has taken shape, and I found myself laying in a large canopy bed in a spacious room.

Well….it would be spacious if the floor wasn't littered with figurines, game boxes, and other pieces of memorabilia relating to video gaming. Across the walls were rows of shelves with even more merchandise collecting dust, with spaces in between shelves being occupied with posters depicting beautiful looking men in romantic poses.

"Where the hell…? Ahhhg, my head… It feels like I just got put through a sand blaster before going through a hydraulic press…"

Wincing in pain I pull myself off the bed. Hanging on the door was a full body mirror, and the person staring back at me was one that I didn't recognize. Striking blonde hair with bolts of green running through it laid messily on top of his head, with it being long enough to cover most of the sides, leaving only the bottoms of his ears exposed. Looking at his eyes, they were a deep emerald color with a golden "X" crossing over the pupils. On either side of his face he wore a pair of matching earrings shaped like glittering stars. His face was plain, but was given interest by the red scar running from his chin to the corner of his mouth. I slapped myself on the forehead for being stupid enough to think this was something else.

"I guess when you get born you don't know what ya look like. Curious about this scar though, and why I look like a man... And why am I talking to myself? It's like I'm some kind of main character monologuing for the readers to get better context to the story or something."

As I look over myself more, I am almost shocked to be completely clothed for just coming into this world. The dark green of my long sleeved shirt was a stark contrast to the lightness of my hair, and the black "X" meeting in the center mirrored my eyes. The slacks I wore sported an opposite color pattern, being solid black with a green stripe running down the side of either leg.

 _No shoes, eh? Guess the writing budget ran out before he got that far._

I step out into the hallway after admiring myself for a while to enter a very regal looking area. It was a large open space with a high ceiling and numerous doors running down one side of the hall. Picking up the smell of some sort of sweet, my stomach starts rumbling, and I being to follow my nose to find the source. _Hopefully there will be plenty for me where ever this is coming from._

* * *

I wander for what feels like a solid 10 minutes before stopping in front of a door more ornately designed than the others. The smell seemed to emanate from behind the thick wood, and through the cracks along the sides I could hear the faint voices of other people. Of course without thinking I slowly open the door, trying to remain as quiet as possible to avoid alerting them to my presence. At first I am unable to see as the room is pitch black, but as my eyes adjust I see it is another bedroom, but with a room shooting off to the side where a faint light was coming through. Both the smell and the voices were coming through that doorway, and from the entrance to the bedroom I could faintly make out the words that were being said.

"It has been almost three days, sis. THREE DAYS! Don't you know ignoring me that long could be hazardous to my health?! I already feel faint and like my heart is growing weaker, but you insist on staying locked away in here playing your games without even coming out for food… Is your game really that much more important than your darling sister?"

"Now look here Chika, my guild has been stuck in this raid the entire time. I couldn't possibly think of abandoning them while they continue to fight and possibly lose because of something as silly as needing to spend time with my Oracle. I don't mean for it to come off as rude, but were you in my situation you would be feeling the same way!"

"You're hopeless to talk to when you get like this Vert. You shut out everything and hole up inside your own world. And since you forgo meals, I painstakingly bring plates of food from restaurants close to the Bascilicom and half the time they barely get touched! I end up throwing away half of it… I'll approve of this only if you agree to spend time with me immediately after you finish!"

"Fine, fine. Now could you please turn the heater off? It's getting far too warm in here and I'm starting to doze off. If I fall asleep now, the guild will wipe and force us to start all over again. Oh and please leave the coffee here, I need the caffeine to stay awake too."

Without realizing it I stood openly in the entranceway to the room, making no effort to hide myself yet being completely ignored at the same time. Hearing the fact that so much food is being wasted on someone who just plays video games all day sends a spike of fury through my body, and I clench my hands into fists subconsciously. Trying to sneak back out of the room I end up clipping the end of a cabinet or dresser, causing me not only to trip, crashing into everything creating a large ruckus, but also audibly wincing in pain. While spinning on one leg trying to regain my balance I fall into what felt like a switch that dug into my back, causing more pain and worse, turning the lights on in the room.

 _I'm so totally screwed. They are gonna find me, throw me out, do unspeakable things to me. Anything! All because I couldn't keep my curiosity or my stomach in check. I just was born and already the writer is gonna kill me off?!_

I curl up into a ball to protect my face and try to hide from the impending doom that I hear walking towards the doorway. I hear almost a warbling noise in the air as I hear weapons being drawn, and the light sound of metal being handled. Peeking out between my arms I see two spear heads peek through the open space. Following them are two women who are so beautiful my face starts to burn as it turns crimson. By their voices I could take my guesses on who was who, and the one I assumed was "Chika" stepped in front of her sister and aimed her spear at my chest. Even with death just a few feet from me, the only thought to cross my stupid mind was: _If they are sisters, why do they look nothing alike?_

"Alright spill it! Who are you and why are you in the Basilicom without us having prior knowledge? How did you get here and how did you find the room of my darling sister Vert?"

Every question was accented with a minor twitch of the blade aimed at me. Anger and accusation blazed in her crimson eyes. Each second that passed made me cower more and more, whimpering like some abandoned dog on the side of the road. The fear stole my voice, and without my knowing tears started spilling down my cheeks. Born into this world only an hour ago and now my impending demise is right before my eyes, and all I can offer up is caught breath and the sobs of a scared girl as penance to the angry "Oracle" before me. I close my eyes and shield my face to prepare for the sharp pain of cold steel piercing my body….

"Chika, stop scaring the poor thing. Can't you tell he doesn't mean any harm? He must have gotten lost and came here for shelter. Welcome to Leanbox's Bascilicom young one, can I, Lady Green Heart CPU of this great nation, help you with anything?"

 _That bitch! I know I may look a bit masculine but don't you assume I'm a guy you blonde bimbo!_

Trying to contain my anger I let my arms down and put on the most charming smile I can muster given the situation. With tears still clouding my vision I can see Chika, dressed in a similar color scheme to me with almost a seafoam color to her hair, crossing her arms and pouting as her spear disappears from existence. Vert however, looking more buxom and elegant with a brighter green dress and sporting the same shade of blonde hair as me, wears a beautiful smile that makes my heart flutter a bit. Her own spear no longer in sight either. I almost forget my spite from being called a guy by looking at this goddess in front of me and turn almost tsundere.

 _May the True Goddess please forgive me for falling into being that over used character trope!_

"For starters, you can stop saying 'he' when referring to me. I may look a bit on the male side because my chest isn't as big as yours, but I am a girl. The name is Cros, and I'm sorry to be a bother, but think you could give me some food? I woke up in a bedroom here and now I'm starving!"

Little did I know that the look of awe and ecstasy that spread over this woman who calls herself Vert's face would start a journey that would change my life forever.

* * *

 **Hello everyone!**

 **This is my first ever fanfic, and I really don't know how it is. Being a business and culinary major, writing isn't exactly my forte, but I am trying to improve. And the way I decided to go with that is to try out making up stories based on my favorite game series! I would like to point out I do not mean to offend anyone with my "tsundere is overused" joke, I love them and Noire is my favorite. Not entirely sure where and how far I will take this, as I decided out of the blue to make it after reading some. At least as it stands now, my writing style is a bit more detail focused than dialogue heavy, but as more characters begin to come in that will most likely change, or just make it longer.**

 **Please review or comment on what you think, how you think it is, and what your opinion is on if I should continue. Not entirely sure how everything works yet so hopefully I did alright! And yes, Cros's name is based on Microsoft, and originally she was going to be a guy but as I thought of it, I feel the story could flow more naturally if she became Green Sister like Vert always wanted. Hopefully I didn't do too bad a job and make you guys wanna read more!**


	2. Chapter 2: Tears of the Heart

"You said you just woke up in one of the bedrooms, but yet you are fully clothed and even wearing well-made jewelry? Something isn't adding up…"

The Oracle broke the moment by spouting more accusations at me. Now that I had time to wipe my eyes off I was able to get a better look at the woman. She definitely wasn't as…well developed…as this one who called herself Lady Green Heart. Her ribbon looked carefully tied to keep her seafoam hair in a tight ponytail, but still adding elegance to her slender frame. Had they not already been crimson from the beginning, her eyes would easily have turned red out of rage by this point.

"Now Chika, what did I just say? _She_ obviously has a reasoning behind such an interesting story." Her stressing of the word "she" made my blood boil, but at least she was learning. _Maybe she's not as stupid as she looks…maybe…_

They both took a step back to give me some space. Being in a ball for so long after just waking up caused my muscles to cramp up, causing the act of just straightening my famished self upright caused a sharp pain to shoot up my legs. Luckily I was able to use the dresser next to me to steady myself and help me get my balance. Taking a quick glance to the mirror behind the pair on top of a nightstand did not paint the prettiest picture.

 _Alright, I am a very ugly crier. Gonna have to keep that in mind for next time…_

"It's just as I said miss. All I remember is seeing this blinding white light surrounding me, getting this weirdo brand seared into my hand, and the voice of some really old sounding woman telling me that I am being born into the land of Leanbox. Said something about the appropriate amount of Shares giving me life or something like that. To be frank she kinda sounded like your friend behind you"

I instantly regretted being completely honest. As soon as the words exited my mouth, "Chika" drew back and stared at the floor. She was trembling with what I assume was rage for the insult I mistakenly given her, and in between breaths I could've sworn I heard her mumbling the words "bitch" and "ungrateful wench" in some fashion. Trying to play coy I scratched my cheek, which led to "Vert" or "Lady Green Heart" or whatever this chick's name was to grab my hand. She looked at the brand that still slightly stung, which started to shine a faint green as she traced it with her finger. While motioning to the mess that her friend had become, she shoots a quizzical look in her direction. The response was a mix of disgust (my fault I'll admit), sadness (I'll assume because she misled her "Darling Vert") and a slight note of pride (alright, I got nothing here). _No idea how my mind pronounced those parentheses in that explanation._

"I guess I just forgot since _someone_ has been ignoring me for so long. The other day our Shares hit an all-time high, even greater than they were when the other Candidates were born. I asked Histoire if there was any way I could use those to make something for you, and it turns out, this one was born from it. You are looking at Cros, or I should say Green Sister, CPU Candidate of Leanbox."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there chickie. First off, what the hell is this business about 'Shares' or whatever they are? What is a CPU, and how am I a Candidate to become one if I just woke up for the first time ever an hour ago? And why is this other girl still holding onto my hand and giving me a look that just screams 'overprotective sister'?"

Sighing, Chika rubbed her temples. Obviously my long list of questions was gonna take some time to answer. While this was going on I snuck another glance to Vert, who still was mindlessly looking from the mark on my hand, to my eyes, and back to my hand. Her own eyes where a bright blue, a color that went perfectly with her bright golden hair. Unlike mine, which just mirrored the streaks in my hair and the clothing on my body. She also did not have any markings on them, which apparently made me the odd one out here. The silky touch of her gloved hand was soothing to my brand, but as I looked at the motions she kept making out I couldn't help but notice dark spots forming in the fabric. Looking up I saw her giving me most loving smile one could possibly give, with tears streaming from her eyes, reflecting the light of the room in an almost beautiful fashion. Crimson flashed across my face again when I realized that this woman was making my heart flutter without saying a single world.

"Finally… I finally have a sister to call my own… I waited so long, even tried to take one of Blanc's twins and Nepgear, but now… Now I won't be lonely anymore…"

Her voice kept breaking as she spoke. Raw emotion spilled into the room, and without me even realizing it, my own tears started to flow. Everything was just so confusing, and Chika was too shocked to see what was going on to give any answers at all. What was the most confusing thing to me was, what came out of my mouth as Vert spoke those words to me.

"Big…sis…"

Both of us just broke down, nearly falling as our legs gave out. We used each other's bodies to support ourselves as we dissolved into a pair of water faucets. For what seemed like forever, pure emotion just flowed from us. Time seemed to stand still as my heart put all the pieces together. As everything finally started to make sense, Chika came over and draped her arms around both of us and held us.

 _Vert is the goddess of Leanbox, which must also be known as a CPU. The other nations must also have CPUs, but what set us apart was until now we had no CPU Candidate. From the sounds of things, they are the leader's little sisters, which meant that however long ago that the others of my kind were born til now, she has been alone. I don't fully understand my situation, but what I do know is that I have given this woman the one thing she wanted more than anything else, and I even get something that I didn't think I could deserve out of it in my short life. A family…_

* * *

When the tears stopped falling, the three of us just sat there in the middle of the bedroom just holding each other. As precious as the moment was, it was almost instantly ruined. In unison, all three of our stomachs let out a rumbling loud enough to cause us all to blush out of embarrassment. Looking up I give a shy little smile to these two women, one who is barely able to contain her smile, while the other softens her glare as she gives a smile in return.

"Oh yeah, I haven't eaten anything yet. Ha ha…"

"Chika and I will fix you up something delicious. In fact, the whole nation better prepare a feast! It's not every day we can say that our own nation's CPU Candidate was just born after all! But I should get ready… We need to address the people, organize the party, call up the caterers…. Oh Chika we don't have enough time!"

Vert began frantically pacing around her room. Chika gave a long sigh and told her that she will have everything taken care of. As she walked out of the room, she made eye contact with me, mouthing the words "Thank you, but don't think this is over" and disappeared behind the door frame. Something tells me that just being born kicked a hornet's nest that most people would've let lie. Shifting around in my spot on the ground, I look up at the woman who has become my older sister. Her light green dress was designed in a way to accentuate her amble chest, with an almost sheer lace fabric covering the spot her cleavage would be. Parts of her hair were pulled back into a braid, then held together by an elegant green ribbon that matched the dress. How she could get more elegant than this was beyond me.

"Ummm, Vert, no, I guess I should be calling you Sis or something like that huh? A-anyway, if this is such a big deal, wouldn't that mean we gotta get dressed up, especially if we are addressing *gulp* the entire nation…?"

Flashing me a cheeky smile, Vert walks over to me and places her hands on my shoulders. Her eyes light up in a way I could only imagine was that of someone who has had so much pent up energy to waste on dressing up little sisters. While I am flattered that she wants to put so much effort in for me, I get a tinge of fear as well as the ensuing montage of costume changes can only be a long drawn out process.

* * *

After what could only be described as me becoming a living mannequin for my "darling" sister, she settled on me wearing a bright emerald dress with golden vine designs dancing from the single strap over my left shoulder down to the lace trim around the bottom. Looking at yet another mirror, which apparently there are a ton of in the Basilicom, I can't help but think that this doesn't suit someone like me at all.

"It's a beautiful dress Sis, but does it really suit me? I mean, like you even thought when we first met, I kinda look like a boy, especially with this weird scar. Everyone will think you are a crazy person who kidnapped a random guy and threw him in a dress after finally snapping from lack of a sister."

"Oh come now, Cros, you look like a beautiful young woman. Yes, I originally expected _my_ little sister to…fill out more…but you are perfect just as you are!" _Ouch that stings Sis. I bet everyone loves to be compared to your two giant personality traits right there._ "Oh, and don't you think something sarcastic to me about my choice of words. Can't have my little sister interrupting my dialogue set with random thoughts to get a point across."

Nervously laughing I look back at my new appearance. Standing next to Vert, I didn't think my regular clothes could even be considered pajamas to the beautiful woman, and not just cause they wouldn't fit her. At least now, I can give even a small good impression to this nation that I'm supposed to apparently help lead. Sweat beads up along my neck when I think of the prospect of all those people looking only at us. To calm my pounding heart and ease my fears, I take deep breaths, which causes Vert to wrap her arms around me and pull me close.

"Don't be scared, your big sister will be right there next to you. While the people would expect you to transform, you just being born we can't exactly make you do it. We can barely ask you to brandish your weapon just yet. Just let me do most of the talking, and everything will be just fine. Everyone will just be happy to know we have a CPU Candidate now."

As her warmth causes my heart to slow and my body to relax, I close my eyes and lean into her. The smile that comes to my face jumps up naturally and I catch myself thinking how good this could end up being. _Not bad for my first day, I'm definitely gonna be the best main character here!_

* * *

 **Alright, did not expect to post chapter 2 so soon, but after the first one came out ideas just kept flowing in my head. I may just put a new one up every day I can come up with a good addition to the story and have the time.**

 **Ch. 1 served as a good intro to the characters, and this one I feel set up their relationship well. Chika of course being still clingy to Vert and not wanting to give her to Cros is something I don't know how long I will keep in. At least for now though it is gonna stay until everything settles down. Hope you enjoyed this second chapter (which I actually kinda cut short cause the next events didn't flow too well just yet in my mind) and keep wanting more! I'm having a great time writing this in between waiting for Megadimension to drop and finishing up the last few things I need to do in Re;Birth 3. Until next time guys!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Birth of a Goddess

"Time to address my…I guess I should be saying our now huh?"

We both stood inside a small room that opened into an outlook over the main plaza in Leanbox. Still being a nervous wreck, I clung to my sister's arm until it was time to go. She drew me into a hug that lasted nowhere near long enough to dispel my worries, but just long enough to stop the shivering that I was feeling. Before stepping out into the open, she shot me a look that filled me with confidence, then was wrapped in an intense light. When I was able to see again, I saw a woman with yellow-green hair clad in a dress that was white with just a touch of green in the color stride out to the podium set up on the far end. Unable to hear clearly what was being said, I just stared in awe at the woman who replaced Vert that spoke with such a level and confident voice. After a few minutes of what was probably vamping, _since I'm such a big deal and everything,_ she looked back towards the little tunnel that separated me from the world.

Standing on the outside near the entrance, Chika peered into the tunnel. Her smile was softer than usual, and she wore an even more elegant black dress than before. She stepped inside to me and took my hand, gently leading me outside. "Show time superstar"

I slowly made my way next to where Vert was standing, who I could see changed in a way where not even her eyes were the same. The deep blue that calmed me down before were now a rich indigo, and they glowed with the same symbol on my hand, which faintly warmed and glowed in resonance. When I stood beside her, I struggled to look out to everyone. While I was only about a head shorter than Vert, that much of a difference obscured the view. Feeling light pressure in my back, I took a couple steps forward. That was when the chaos began…

"All hail Green Sister!" "Our Goddess finally has a sister. We won't lose to the other nations ever again now!" "She's just as beautiful as her older sister~~!" "You sure that isn't a boy?"

 _Okay that last guy is gonna get a piece of my mind when this is over with… But I can't let my emotions get the better of me here, I need to make a good impression for my sister's sake._

Stealing a look back, Vert motioned for me to speak a few words. _So much for you doing most of the talking._ Sighing, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I put on my most confident face and looked out into the crowd. Soldiers, shop owners, children, and even some pets littered the plaza below me. As I tried to wrap my head around the fact that all these people were now intent on hearing every little thing to come out of my mouth I grew nauseous. Knowing that this would be my only chance to make a first impression, I ignored my feelings and spoke the words I prepared all night with help from the 2 women who were supporting me from the sidelines.

"Greetings citizens of Leanbox. I know this may come as a surprise to all of you, but I am indeed Green Sister. Please though, I hate formalities like that, so call me Cros. While I was literally born yesterday, I am smart enough to know that you all are what give reason to my sister's, and now my own existence. I pray that I can live up to all your expectations, and… oh what was it?"

Stumbling in my speech I start scratching my head to remember what the words were that had to come next. Behind me I heard stifled chuckles from a certain sister and Oracle, while the crowd offered up roars of laughter and encouragement in return.

"Oh don't worry about the words, we all love you already!" "Isn't she cute the way she is so nervous?" "Maybe we should start clapping now, and she can continue when she calms down." "Are you all really sure that isn't a guy?"

 _That's it… That guy is totally dead when I am done here. Neither Vert nor Chika can help him escape my wrath…_

"Look, rehearsed words and practiced tones only go so far. I guess all I'm trying to say is, this is me. I stumble from time to time, don't know my way around this life just yet, and that in all honesty I'm most likely not gonna be as prim and proper as my sis. I'll do my best as your Candidate, and will give every fiber of my being towards the prosperity of Leanbox. So thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for supporting us for as long as you have. Its thanks to you all that I'm here today, and hope that we can continue to receive your blessings."

* * *

As I finished my speech, I took a step back. Vert wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me close, while Chika, who snuck up behind us during my talking, put her hand on my shoulder. Looking at both the beauties of Leanbox, I could feel how proud they were of me, and I could feel something warm building up inside me. As I closed my eyes and took a deep breath I felt a strange warmth surrounding me. Puzzled, I opened my eyes to a blinding light, and as it dissipated, a roar of cheer and applause erupted through the crowd. Confused I looked around to my family, who strangely now were eye level to me. Vert gave me a soft chuckle and explained the situation.

"And here I said you didn't have to worry about transforming. Should've figured any little sister of mine wouldn't be able to settle for good enough. I have to say though, you're even cuter in this from, right Chika?"

"I guess, but still she doesn't compare to you. Though I do have to admit, she looks exactly how the CPU Candidate here should."

Before I could begin to inspect myself to see what they were talking about, I felt 2 things that were clearly not there before. For starters, my previously short hair was now long and flowing down to my waist. It still maintained the golden color that both me and Vert have in our human forms, but the green streaks are more defined than before. The second was something slightly embarrassing, and caught the attention of many of the males in the audience. No longer did I have the chest of what I could assume was a regular 14-year-old girl, but now one that was right between Vert's and Chika's, much to the latter's dismay.

"Damn she filled out well!" "Now she _really_ looks like Lady Green Heart's sister!" "Dear stop staring, you are embarrassing the poor thing!" **Editor's note: The final guy was detained and pulled away from the crowd before this moment came to pass. Sources say he has been placed into the Guild's Protective Services to safeguard him from the wrath of a certain main character.**

My cheeks flared up with fire as all these comments on my body were being said. As I looked at my new form, I noticed that unlike Vert who was wearing an elegant gown, I was in what could only be considered as a battle garment. From just before my second knuckle on my middle fingers to my elbows I had silky gloves that were a bright ivory color. The edges were decorated in layers of gold and green lace, held on only by gold bands on my fingers. Around my now ample chest was a tight, thinly clothes, yet durable emerald brigandine, cut in a way that showed off my new cleavage and had an inverse cut that exposed my midriff. Accenting the green was a jet black "X" that went from my shoulders down to my waist where the top ended. The bottom part of my new suit could only be compared to that of a matching emerald swimsuit, where the corners curved flush to the edges of my top. On my feet were a pair of green knee-high heeled boots that had a pair of gold "X"s on either side of my ankles. The heel was high enough that it did put me eye level with the two taller women beside me, but were short enough that I felt that I could still move around in them. What was most surprising was what was floating behind me, hovering right before but in line with my shoulder blades.

"Umm Sis? Are these wings that I'm seeing or am I just going crazy from the stress?"

As I spoke I had to cover my mouth. The voice that escaped my lips was not my own, but was that of a mature woman fitting the image I now had. Looking back, two circular pieces were held in space with 3 "feathers" jutting from the edges. These were the same color as the rest of my outfit, with large black cross marks on the circles. The feathers looked exactly that, diamonds stretched on one side to reach out from the circles to about 3 feet into the space around me. These were a sparkly indigo color that were marked with white lines accenting the tips of the wings and creating a butterfly pattern in the remaining space.

"Why yes dear Cros, this is what your Goddess form is. It's called Hard Drive Divinity, but we all just call it HDD for short. You are greatly stronger than in your human form here, and obviously you can now fly. As you would put it, 'you are now certainly a main character who can now go wherever she pleases.' Of course, there will be limits as I can't have you running off on adventures unaccompanied."

As she finished her explanation, a faint glow overtook her dress. In its place, a white outfit that was similar to mine appeared on her. With hers, the white top was cut high up, where the bottom curves of her breasts were completely showing, essentially becoming all cleavage. On her arms she now sported white gauntlets that had black claw like pieces on every knuckle. At the wrists, a pair of large bracelets covered up to the middle of her forearm, where they formed a crown like edge with black spikes on the tips. Her own wings were closer to a pink color with a more crystalline design on them. Grabbing my hand, she pulled me into the air.

We floated above the people, all cheering and raging louder than ever before. We waved like true goddesses and drifted away from the plaza. Many people ran to keep up with us, but as we got farther away Vert began to pick up speed. She drew me out to the ocean where we stayed stationary in the air for a while, watching the sun reflect off the waves as it began to drop lower in the sky. Letting go of my sister's hand, I took my own chance flying, and soared higher than where we were staying. I looked over the way we came, a vast green plain that surrounded our nation was flanked by a sea of trees on one side. Tears began to slowly drop from my eyes as I looked at the place that would be my home, and my entire world. Vert joined me where I was and we floated there as we watched the sunset over the horizon.

* * *

 **Alright folks, next chapter we really get into things. Just a sneak peak you will get to see Cros get her weapon! After that we will get into the main plot of the story, picking up a bit after the final battle of Re;Birth 3's main story. This will kind of go on a different path as the post game stuff never will happen, or will occur later on with a different twist. Not much Chika this time but that will change next time!**

 **As always, thanks for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed it. I am getting really happy with how things are unfolding, and hopefully you guys will enjoy the next set of events to transpire as Cros meets her fellow Candidates.**


	4. Chapter 4: Crosing the Edge

"Cros… You are going to have to do much better than that if you are going to be able to stand up for yourself on quests. Are you even being serious about this training?"

After being knocked down onto the floor for about the fifth time, I began to pick up tones of agitation, annoyance, and what worried me the most, pleasure. The ceremony where the 3 of us greeted the people for the first time since my birth seemed like a far off memory now, as the four days that have passed since then have only dragged on. At least they would be if I was conscious for the whole time.

* * *

According to Vert, after my little experience with using my HDD for the first time I passed out as soon as I returned to my human form. For the first 2 days I was stuck in bed and tended to by everyone in Basilicom. True, my sis probably was just overreacting, but I guess when she wasn't sure if she was going to lose her sister right after getting her she was not taking any chances. The day after that was Vert reversing roles with me and becoming the clingy sister that is usually reserved for the younger. I was a bit unsteady after the whole sleeping 2 days straight thing, so I didn't mind using her as a crutch in a sense. What pissed me off the most was that even when I was perfectly fine she was right up my ass!

About midday the dizziness I was feeling was gone, so I tried to take a stroll to clear my head. I left the Bascilicom and started to wander the streets, paying close attention to everything so I did not get lost getting back. All the citizens were ecstatic to see me up and about after hearing about my collapse, and seeing all their smiling faces made me excited to finally get to work to help them. I asked one of the guards out on patrol to give me a tour of the city so I could get more familiar with everything, which was about to happen when a certain someone came barreling down the street in full HDD, spear out and everything panicking that I wasn't in my room when she was done with a quick daily. With a slight but polite bow I apologized to the men, who only laughed it off with a wave of their hands. Scooping me up like a princess, which this kind of affection was still too much for me to bare without a flash of red appearing on my face, Vert flew me back to her room, where for the remainder of the night she showed me the ins-and-outs of her favorite MMORPG, 4 Goddesses Online, and even guided me with creating a character to play alongside her with. Kinda wish she would've let me choose the name though. Calling myself "† Green-Sister †" seemed a bit tacky, but after seeing a storm cloud start to form around her head I decided to throw that thought out the window.

The next day was the first official day of my training as CPU Candidate. As Vert pulled an all-nighter on 4GO last night, she was nowhere to be seen, allegedly still logged in as I was actually working. With the CPU indisposed of, Chika took ample pleasure at introducing me to the paperwork that we were required to do. Building plans, hardware orders, component inventory checklists, civil disputes, basically anything you could think of, there was a damn form for it. My favorite Oracle would lay stack after stack of these papers, apparently that have been building up since I was born, and set me off signing each and every one of them, as she went off to pamper "her darling sister". Normally that wouldn't annoy me, but the icy sting she put into the words as she skipped off felt like a challenge instead of just a statement.

It wasn't until well after lunch that the flood of paper finally finished, only to be replaced with a meeting between CPUs and their Oracles. Vert had me sit in as well to see what they would be like, and she led me to a large open room in the basement of the Basilicom. While no light fixtures could be found, not even a blind man could have said this was a dark room. A large floating crystal shaped like the mark on my hand was positioned in the center of the room high above us, and from here rainbows of soft, warm light blanketed the room in illumination. Just from my spot by one of the pillars I could see that the architecture was carefully planned for noise reduction and ease of access, as below the crystal was a large system that I could only assume was some sort of phone or computer. With a snap of their fingers, Vert and Chika pulled up a video feed that erupted from the top of the machine. From where I stood, I could see the video split into 3 sections, and the pairs standing in each were not what I expected. I couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but when Vert addressed them I was able to catch their names at least.

The first one to speak was a little kid who called herself "Neptune." Short, messy purple hair lightly spiked up with had two pieces fall to shoulder length on either side of her face and two hairclips shaped like the directional pads of our game console's controllers, she had enthusiasm to put any street performer to shame. Next to her was a tiny blond fairy who was floating on a book. Sporting a pair of twintails and wearing something that looked almost akin to a maid's headdress, this "Histoire" seemed to be the smarter of the pair, with a temper to match her size. Located next to them on the feed was the one Vert called "Noire." Stifling a laugh, I noted how this one oozed tsundere, as she wore her raven black hair in tight twintails and red eyes that could captivate any man. Luckily I was immune to the charms, but what surprised me was the girl standing next to her. Looking almost exactly how I did, the Oracle they named "Kei" had silver hair cut slightly shorter than mine. The look on her face showed that she was only meaning business, and the top of a suit could be seen in the feed. _Are we sure I'm Vert's sister and not hers? It would make a lot more sense if that were the case…_ The final one was an even smaller girl than Neptune, with a bob-cut head of brunette hair and white hat. "Blanc" seemed like the most level headed of the group, speaking in a hushed tone that I could barely even pick up. Her Oracle, "Mina", was obviously some sort of teacher or mage, as her outfit was a red hat and dress that was reserved for those professions. Her sky blue hair seemed to feel off when you looked at her dress.

After the meeting, Vert filled me in on who was who, and where they were from. She informed me that after I complete my training, I will be officially introduced to them, along with the other 4 CPU Candidates at a summit in Planeptune. All I had to do was not mess up and pass my combat exercises without getting myself killed, what possible could go wrong there?

* * *

And that brings us back to now. While explaining everything in my head to the audience, I slowly pulled myself back up into a standing position, using my wooden training spear as a cane to steady myself. Chika stabbed her own spear into the ground and glared over me with arms crossed. We have gone through the same process for 3 hours now. I ready myself for an attack, I set off sprinting towards the stalwart Oracle training me, I set my spear to strike her center mass as instructed, and then I see the world spin as she takes me down with her own weapon. The past couple clashes lasted longer as I could parry a couple of her own blows and attempt more attacks before the same inevitable outcome occurred.

"Please tell me if you've had enough, I'm more than willing to just call this off and let you be stuck here doing all the paperwork while I go into the field in your place. Then my darling Vert will fall in love with and fawn over me as I send our shares to new heights!"

"Fat chance. Like I would lose to some obsessed freak like you"

Glaring at my instructor I ready one final charge. The same process happens, but the only thing that changed was end result. During our exchange of blows, I noticed that my swings were growing stronger as I got used to the weight of the piece of wood in my hand. Spinning the spear around I was able to withstand Chika's counter assault for a good 5 seconds before I heard a sharp crack. Instead of being just swept off my feet like every other time, this time a wooden spear was driven into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and sending me sprawling around on the floor as I bounced and rolled from the impact.

"Oh, my bad. Maybe I should've held back a smidge. You really should just give up now and avoid even more embarrassment. I mean, what would Vert think if she saw you laying on the ground like that?"

Those words spoken in a flat tone from her expressionless face sent me over the edge. I didn't care what happened to me anymore, I just wanted to shut her up and put her in her place for insulting me and my pride for so long. Digging my nails into the ground, I try to pull myself up, but the lack of oxygen getting into my body was making it hard to move. All I could do was glare up at her as she waved her spear towards the rack at the entrance of our little training grounds. "Training grounds" was being used loosely as it was just a large clearing in the middle of the Basilicom garden. Next to the rack of spears was a table of other various training weapons, but only one caught my eye. Among the swords, axes, maces and tonfa there was an elaborate collection of gear that was all connected. As I stumbled over to the table clutching my stomach at the site of my injury, I examined the strange looking thing. It was 3 different pieces all connected in a way not even I could see, but could just feel it wouldn't work without all of um together.

 **-PAUSE-**

* * *

 **Unexpected two parter! Couldn't fit everything into one chapter so please forgive this abrupt ending and continue onto Chapter 5.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Storm Puppeteer

**-Resume-**

It started as a black leather belt, studded with 8 emeralds, the biggest being in the center of the piece. Picking it up, it was heavier than it looked, weighing easily 10 pounds for such a thin piece of material. Without thinking I strapped it around my waist and went on to the next part. There were a pair of black bracelets made from some type of metal, but they similarly had 8 emeralds along their curve. They also seemed to be heavier than they should've been, the smooth metal that reflected my own bruised and dirty face back at me weighing about 5 pounds each. With the same lack of thought, they slipped onto my wrists and clamped down tight. The final pieces were the only things seeming out of place, but since it was training it made sense. A pair of wooden daggers, each with a blade only about 8 inches in length, with a hand length, forest green cloth wrapped handle. These were actually lighter than expected, and the weight on them was something that felt like they weren't made for simple slashing and stabbing. Spinning them around in my hands for a bit, I settled on holding them opposite, the blade in my dominant right hand held traditionally, while the one in my left was held in reverse.

Striding back into my starting place on the field, I took up a fighting stance. I curled the balls of my feet up so that I was bouncing on my toes and kept my knees slightly bent for quick movements. With my right arm, I held the blade out so that there was only the slightest bend in my elbow, and used my entire forearm and the blade of my left arm almost as a guard positioned in line with my neck. As soon as I saw Chika's spear twitch, I sprang into action. Digging my feet into the earth, I shot forward. I was almost like putting on this heavy equipment somehow made me faster, because an approach that took 5 seconds with the spear was shortened to 3, a boost that caught even my teacher off guard. I unleashed a flurry of slashes, utilizing both blades and flipping them around to minimize wasted movement between slashes.

Chika tried retaliating, but somehow my body was able to react much better than before. Using the daggers, I caught the spear and shoved, knocking it and her arms high into the air, giving me an opening. Driving forward with both weapons in a stabbing motion, I put all my momentum into this one attack. She saw this however, and using her greater battle experience, was able to turn my attack around and forcing me to back off. I jumped and did a backflip to increase our distance, finally figuring out why the daggers were weighted in such a way and threw them at my target. She blocked them with her spear, but that was when everything finally clicked on why this felt so different than any other weapon I saw. Closing my eyes, I called upon the power of the wind, something that Vert told me was our natural element as Leanbox CPUs. As I did this all the emeralds on my bracelets lit up and shot off. Just barely detectable, a thin wire held each one to my wrist, but by controlling the energy within them I could change their trajectory, speed, and even spin them around to create a defensive technique.

"What the hell is that? I don't remember putting that out for training, how did you get something like that?"

Almost panicking from losing her edge, Chika took a step back, further increasing our distance. As I landed lightly on my toes I drew my gems close to my wrists. Using how much distance we had as a gauge, I started my second assault. Using only 3 gems from my left arm to test things out, I leaped into the air and sent them flying at my training partner. Even though she was successful with blocking the direct impact of the tiny green bullets, the true purpose of using them was to use the wires that they were attached to. With surprisingly little effort, I controlled the flow of energy to cause them to wrap themselves around the shaft of her spear, the gems looking like they only dug into the wood. Keeping those wires relaxed, I allowed her to have free movement of her spear, the twirling she did for flair to try to remove the lodged emeralds only increasing the amount that was wrapped around the wood.

 _Now to teach her a lesson. I'll make sure she remembers that I AM the CPU Candidate of Leanbox. I AM the sister of Vert. And I will make sure that by the end of this she WILL respect me as I have tried give her as my elder and my Oracle._

Clenching my left hand into a fist, I strengthened my arm for my final attack. As I did this I began retracting the wires back into the band around my wrist. Shocked by the sudden tension pulling on her weapon, Chika reflexively pulled the spear closer to her, playing right into my clutches. As I flew towards her, I sent all 8 gems in my right hand out in a starburst pattern. With a breath, I caused them to start rotating around and flying towards my opponent. As they grew closer together the speed of their rotation increased, creating the illusion that a wild twister was being driven to strike her where she stood. The roar of the tornado was deafening, and the sheer force of the wind was enough to start leaving large scars in the trees encircling the clearing. Without me realizing, two words that I figure is the name of that technique escaped my mouth and echoed through the field.

 **"Storm Impact!"**

As the tip of the attack sped closer to Chika, I saw her face turn to one of pure terror, and I knew that it was time to end this display. Right before coming into contact with her sternum, I stopped the gems in their tracks. The wind ripped large gashes into the ground directly in front of her, but the only damage Chika sustained was a couple scratches from flying pieces of rock and a messed up hairdo that now stuck every which way, much to my amusement. After using the remaining crystals on my left hand to ease myself down, I retracted the ones that were around the spear back into their spots on the band. The ones from my right, which were still frozen in the air of a now unconscious, yet still standing, Oracle flew back and clicked into place at my command. Grabbing a water bottle from under the training table, I splash the woman in her face to get her back in this world to hear her apology. In my most matter-of-fact voice with the most charming little devilish look I could muster, I just ask one question that was followed with me breaking down in laughter at the sight of my instructor.

"So Chika, still think I'm not cut out to be a CPU Candidate?"

Letting out a deep sign, Chika refused to meet my eyes for a few seconds. If I didn't know any better, she looked sorrowful, or even apologetic, something I never really expected to get from her. After a few seconds and my laughing died off, she looked back up at me and gained the smile reminiscent of a proud parent who just witnessed their child achieve their dream. With my jaw on the floor, she wraps her arms around me and pulls me into the coldest hug imaginable, only due to the fact she was still soaking wet from the water.

"No, Cros, I don't think you are cut out to be a CPU Candidate."

A beat. _Why that bit-…._

"There is no doubt in my mind that you have already proven yourself to be more than capable enough to handle that role. And seeing you reach it on your own without me or Vert needing to instruct you every step of the way makes me the proudest Oracle ever."

Noting a slight sound of sobbing from her as she spoke, I returned the hug in turn, and said a phrase that I could now tell I meant with all my heart, and one that sent the woman standing there holding me into a fit of tears.

"You just aren't my Oracle Chika. I know now more than ever, you are my friend and family. Not like a sister, you are a sister to me, and I would give my all to protect your happiness. I won't let you down."

* * *

As the sun set in the garden, our emotions cooled down enough where we could just talk as two girls. With Vert being either busy with work, fawning over me being incredibly overprotective, or her games, I haven't had the time just to converse with someone here for a couple days. Sitting on a bench that was a bit scarred from my attack we spend the remainder of our time together gossiping, sharing secrets ( _well she did, I haven't lived long enough to make any just yet),_ and in general just bonding. At this moment, I felt like I had a second older sister, one that I knew felt thrilled to have the cutest little sister ever, specifically me, as well.

"So what did you mean when you asked me where I got these…things? I don't even know what to call um but somehow I knew they belonged in a set."

"Well Cros, I wasn't lying when I said I never set those out with the rest of the equipment. However, I do know what they are. Those are your true armaments. Like the spears Vert and I wield, those bands and daggers you found can be summoned and dismissed at will. Well, not exactly those. Your latent power called some training equipment there and called out to you to test your aptitude with them. I've never seen a weapon like it, so I don't know what to call it. I do know what your nickname will be from now on though."

Giving her a puzzled look, Chika laughed at me a sweet and innocent laugh that I knew was filled with no malice at all.

"In hindsight, as soon as you equipped that gear, you gained complete control of our match. It would not be out of place to say I became your puppet on a string, which happened quite literally for a bit there. That's why, I think I will call you 'The Storm Puppeteer.' When you master those unique gems, you could effectively control the flow of battle, and the very winds themselves, like a master showman armed with marionettes. The daggers are both ploys and auxiliary weapons. You could possibly attach a gem to them to turn them into a wire blade. But of course these are only ideas, it's up to you to decide how to grow with your new power."

After finishing her explanation, Chika gave me a light kiss on the forehead before standing up from the bench and began making her way back into the Basilicom. She looked back at me and gave me an exasperated look that made me feel sorry for her without knowing why. Looking at the state of the gardens however cleared that right up, bringing new shades of red onto my face. As I moved around I realized that the bands were no longer on my wrists, and the belt was not in its place on my waist. Concentrating my energy, I formed the image of my weapons in my mind. In a quick flash of light, I found my calling back where it belonged on my body and in my hands. Unlike my training versions, these bands were a rich brown leather edged with gold. The gems were still bright, shining emeralds, but the cuts on them were sharper and more edges, showing that these were in fact meant for battle. In my hands were two ornate white daggers. The handles curved slightly, allowing more leverage to be applied to the attacks. The blades were 8 inches long when you measure from the top of the handles to the tips, but then they curved over where my fingers were down another 3 inches straight down. As a cross guard, a white ring was around the point where blade met handle, and they had green markings that looked like my wings in HDD form. With my weapons in hand, I gazed at the setting sun.

"From this moment forward, I carve my own path. I will be the sweetest, cutest, most awesomest main character Gamindustri has ever seen! I won't lose to my sister, or anyone ever again, and I will protect Leanbox with my own two hands!"

* * *

 **And the introductory arc draws to a close. Hope you all enjoyed the first fight of the story! Quick shout out to korra143 from Lost Pause's Twitch stream,for giving me the idea for Cros's weapon, although only the the rough description of a "wire weapon." Hopefully you guys all enjoyed getting to know Cros and how she thinks, because from the next chapter on is the main story line.**

 **As always thank you all for reading and I appreciate all the feedback and words you have for my story. This is quickly becoming something that I can't wait to sit down to type up because of how fun it is. Hope to see you all again next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Rising Tempest

It has been about three weeks since my fight with Chika, so for the last three weeks I've been spending more time with my Oracle than ever before. Half of it was out of sheer necessity, Vert's "honeymoon" phase of having such a cute little sister like me died a bit too quick for my tastes when she realized I had the body of a 14-year-old, the other was because I actually enjoyed it now that she wasn't fighting me for Vert's attention. This led to me actually missing my blonde bimbo of a sister glomping on me, both to my amazement, and fear. But of course, when not hanging out with my new best friend I was actually working, keeping me busy and cleared my mind of my worries when I don't see Vert for a few days. Surprisingly, as much as she threatened to stick me with paperwork duty had I lost, Chika was more than willing to pull double duty on it to give me the time to get work done out in the field. She always was up before me and hidden away somewhere in an office by the time I had to leave, her only evidence left would be a different container on the counter with a note saying what today's lunch would be and a cute chibi drawing of the three of us girls.

I was walking along a cobblestone road down one of the many side streets in the city. For being as high-tech as it prides itself on, there were quite a few quaint little pieces of history hidden around in Leanbox's shadows. The plan for today was to check out one of the stores in town to see if they had any leatherworking or jewel crafting equipment. Even though it wasn't entirely necessary, when I take breaks while off doing quests for the Guild I like to make sure my weapons are in top shape. I have even made a few modifications to improve my combat capabilities, an act that most girls my age would've shied away from for being garish or unladylike. At this I scoff and go back to sewing into my leather or polishing my gems. Formerly leather bands on my wrists, my new gloves gave me a much faster reaction time when using my wires, having moved a trio of the gems into the spaces between the knuckles. I had to alter my fighting style for this, but a quirky, and very busty masochist I met named Tekken showed me a better way to use hand-to-hand combat. Though something tells me she was just using me to get off…..

Anyway, I also had my daggers altered, to help develop my greatest technique when dealing with many targets. Much lighter than before, the blades were still just as strong, but where the butterfly pattern in emerald was before was now empty space, with some slots angled differently with their cuts. I split the wide ring that served as a cross guard into 4 others of similar sizes, but were able to change from a solid piece when fighting, to loose individual rings that jingled as I moved around. While I haven't mastered the technique I changed them for just yet, I have been getting closer. Unfortunately, the last few quests where I have had to subdue multiple monsters, they don't put up enough of a fight to warrant even pulling my blades out.

After checking out a few shops I found nothing of interest, except an old music player. It fit easily into my pocket, and they came with earbuds that seemed to do an excellent job at cancelling outside noise. The logo was faded on the scratched black plastic, but the letter "Z" could still be seen at the beginning of whatever word was originally there. The screen was all scratched up, but you could still read the text on it well enough to know which song you were selecting or what was playing. I figured I would put some stuff on it that sounded good, but it dawned on me, causing me to cup my face in my hand and let out a long drawn-out sigh. I own no music to put into it.

I walked back to the Basilicom with my new prize, holding it my hand and turning it every which way to memorize every little inch of the tiny device. The note on today's lunch had a message to bring home some groceries if I got the chance, so I took care of that before heading back. As I walked into the kitchen, it looked like a tornado ran through the place. Cupboards were thrown open, some even off their hinges by the force. Where there should have still been _some_ food waiting to be consumed or prepared was just empty space and a few scattered pieces of boxes or plastic. The floor was littered with crumbs of all shapes, sizes, and compositions, and they all led to the place I had expected all along.

"Goddess. Damn. It. VERT!"

* * *

Throwing open the door to her room, I yell at the pile of flesh now curled up on the bed. She tried to shield her eyes from the light, as it was pitch black side, but without mercy I flipped the light switch on to illuminate the vampire that was my sister. Hissing at the sudden brightness she pulled the blankets over her head and tossed around, at least until she fell off the bed with a thud and groans of pain.

"That's what you get for pulling five all-nighters in a row on 4GO there sis. And mind explaining why it seems like a bomb went off in the kitchen? Chika wouldn't have done that, cause she knows she would've had to clean it up…"

Sitting up, the blankets fell from their place on her face, revealing that my once beautiful sister had transformed into something completely different. Her once bright blue eyes were now hazy and bloodshot, accented by deep black bags all around. The obvious effects of neglecting her hygiene presented itself with her hair losing its former volume, looking flat and greasy from being stuck in that small computer room with no ventilation to speak of. As I stood in front of her waiting for an answer, the smell hit me, causing me to recoil in disgust. Vert looked up at me pouting, a face most often reserved for the _little_ sister.

"Come on Cros, you know I couldn't just leave my guild like that. CC2 put up an even greater fight than before, and I was honestly stuck fighting that entire time….while not doing dailies on all my other characters or farming gold in the wastelands… The mess, well, before I was so rudely awoken from my much needed slumber I went down to get some food. Seeing as I have barely eaten anything beyond energy bars and coffee, I needed something with a bit more calories, so I ate everything. I don't think I should be held responsible for this, considering you never seem to wanna hang out with your darling elder sister anymore."

That last line hit me hard. I know it was only meant as a joke, something to guilt me into letting her go back to sleep, but after worrying about her over the past five days it stung. My rage almost boiled over, had it not turned into sadness. Unable to look at her anymore I turned my head to the side, staring at the floor like it would give me the answers I sought. _How could she begin to think I don't wanna spend time with her? She is my sister. The girl who I love more than even myself, and she has the gal to think that I am avoiding her?_

Unable to contain myself I start shuddering. My legs give out and I end up on my knees with tears welling up in my eyes. Vert stared at me with concern in her eyes, but exhaustion took a toll on her and the loud yawn that followed did nothing but to detract from the message she wanted to relay. She tried to crawl over to me and place her arms around my trembling body, but I slapped her hand away and stormed out. Not realizing she followed me into the hall I say out loud a thought that should've stayed inside, less she heard how much I was hurting right now.

"It hasn't even been a whole month yet and she's already forgotten about me. Vert…why can't you see that I still need my big sister?"

My greatest fears were realized when I heard a sharp breath from behind me. Whipping around I only caught the tail of her long golden hair slipping into her room before the door slammed shut. Audibly the locked clicked, and silence reigned for a long period. I leaned against the wall and just cried into my hands, only interrupted by the louder wailing coming from the room I was just in. I could hear things breaking, namely the sound of a spear being slammed into a computer monitor multiple times as the electricity crackled around the metal blade. Before I could run back to the room, Chika appeared behind me, and putting her hand on my shoulder looked at me with a face that told me to just let her be. I collapsed into her chest and just let out the emotions I was putting off for so long, and just the pressure of her arms around me was enough to have me melt away in their solace.

* * *

The next day I waited around the Basilicom longer than usual to see if Vert would come out of her room, but the door remained locked and she was still nowhere to be seen. Fed up with her, I rushed over to the Guild to take the first quest I laid my hands on. Bringing it up to the counter, the guild representative politely asked me if I was expecting more people to join me for the quest. Shooting her a look that displayed my lack of patience regarding the deals I have with people right now, she dismissed her qualm and gave the paper a stamp, showing it was accepted and ready for completion. I strode to the gate of the city, heading towards Zega Forest, as those were the only words I bothered reading on the scroll before claiming my bounty. As I entered the area, I pulled up the quest log to see what I needed to do. I nearly dropped the scroll and everything else from my inventory when I read the target information.

 **Zega Forest. Target: A pack of 5 Fenrir that have appeared and have begun disrupting the local wildlife**. _Damn I should've read this before bringing it up to the window._

Realizing it was too late to back out, I summoned my weapons, opting to start with my daggers ready to make quick work of the trash mobs that littered the forest until I reached the location outlined in the dossier. Up until then, I saw the usual Dogoo and Boxbird, but saw no signs of any Fenrir. _Must be a mistake in the register._ I began circling the clearing where they should be spawning, but nothing was there, not even an event marker usually found at the end of these dungeons. I waited around for a while before heading back to the path leading home.

As soon as my back turned to the clearing I heard the snarling. Silently, all 5 of the overgrown wolves surrounded me. Coming in on all sides, 5 copies of a monster that I could barely take down solo without going into HDD and suffering severe exhaustion tightened their circle. In fear I dropped my daggers and fell to my knees. The last thing I remember was me saying something while my eyes leaked uncontrollably before the beasts began their attack on me. My voice was as hollow as I felt in that moment.

"Vert…please, for the love of the True Goddess, save me…"

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger guys, can't have happy resolutions at the end off all my chapters when the plot is just starting. Time for things to get a bit more interesting. Hopefully all of you still following this will be at the edge of your seats until the next chapter comes ;)**

 **But in all honesty, thank you all for reading this.**

 **Fun trivia time that popped into my head while writing this chapter: You may notice that I haven't said anything about the belt that is part of Cros's Tempest** **Raiment (the now official name for her gloves, belt and dagger combination). The truth behind that piece will be revealed soon, but when I cannot say. Start theorizing now cause I may not be what you may think ;)**


	7. Chapter 7: The Dust Settled

**Earlier that day, a new perspective…**

* * *

As I opened my eyes, I remembered that I turned my lights off before passing out. The pitch darkness almost seemed welcoming, since I certainly didn't feel like my usual self. From my spare room I could still hear sparks from that remained of my computer. _I probably will regret that later, but right now there's more important things to focus on than my 4 Goddesses Online profile._

Swinging myself around I let my legs hang off the side of the canopy bed. The silken sheets inviting me back to sleep, but after sleeping an entire day I have recovered from that all-nighter session I was so prone to do. I was about to get up to get prepared for the day when I heard a knock on the door. The voice was one I so longed to hear, but when she spoke, my own was caught in my throat. After yesterday I was too ashamed to face her, so I steeled myself just to listen.

"Hey Vert, it's me. I don't know if you are awake, but I wanted to let you know I'm heading out. I haven't seen you since _that_ happened, so I just was hoping to see you before I left. You probably are still exhausted though since I did wake you up." *soft pained chuckle* "Well anyway, rest up. You seemed really upset yesterday, so when I get back you better be ready to sit down and talk with me sis… I love you so don't worry me like this. See ya later…"

Tears started to fall once again after hearing how hurt Cros still sounded. I only meant what I said as a joke, but in my sleep deprived state I never would've realized that it was something absolutely cruel to a young girl who used to need to beat me off her with a stick. I pulled my legs up to my chest, something quite hard to do with my anatomy, and wrapped my arms around my knees. For a time, I just sat there thinking of a way to make things up with her, to let her know I never meant those words and that I do want spend time with her. I must have been deep in thought, because by the time I realized it, I was waking up for the second time.

Two hours passed. I finally resolved myself to get up, but first I needed to clean myself. A Goddess cannot let her faithful worshipers see her in such a sorry state as I am currently. I walk from my room to the kitchen, to see if Cros was back for lunch to see if she wanted to hop in the bath with me for old times' sake. When I only saw Chika preparing a light salad, I felt the happiness drain from me once again, something the Oracle who would formerly glomp on me at sight picked up on.

"What's wrong Vert, sad I'm not your sister?"

The question was asked innocently enough, no noticeable inflections of spite or intent on wounding. Why did it sting so though? Was seeing the one who lived with me as my only family for so long before my sister was born really that depressing? I think I was hurt more that my view changed that I forgot how much I cared for Chika, even if saying that would only bring her back to her ways of fawning over me trying to get me to do unspeakable things with her in the bedroom. I look away and bite my lip, trying to think of a way to say this without hurting her feelings.

"It's not that Chika. It's just, after yesterday I was hoping to at least see her once… But since you are here, can we talk? Not about work or games or anything like that. Just…talk… I need someone to just hear my words and tell me I'm not crazy for once. Though if you saw the mess my computer is in now, there would be no doubt you would lock me up in a straight-jacket right away."

Putting down the tongs, Chika walked over to me. Lightly, and with a sweet smile, she grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the table. Taking a seat, I watch her go over to the counter and pour two cups of coffee, adding cream and sugar to hers, and my favorite mint creamer to mine. It was surprising how such a little thing could bring a slight smile to my face, but it was a nice reminder that Chika still cared for me. She set the cups down, and sat across from me. For a moment she looked down at her cup, and when she looked up I almost jumped. The look in her eyes was one of seriousness that I never have seen her give me outside of work, which only made the words she said next hit me harder.

"You messed up Vert. Cros is still not even a month old in reality. She may have the maturity far outclassing the 14 years she looks, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need her big sister to be there for her. She may look and act annoyed when you pamper her, but when she pretty much used me as your surrogate when you would go off to work or lock yourself away, I can tell you damn well that she does it out of love. After both of your outbursts, I held her for hours, and she told me how she was going to do her damnedest to get you to acknowledge her, to pull you away from your own world for just a day and focus on the sister _you_ wanted so much. I can understand how ashamed you are, but you need to know this. _Now get going!_ Cros usually comes back for lunch when doing quests, and she hasn't returned yet. I may be making mountains out of molehills, but this is the perfect opportunity for a big sister to show off."

The final sentence was accented with a light smile. With a newfound strength building up in me, I jumped up from my seat. Not even a raging storm could stop me from finding my sister!

If only I knew what was in store when I found her…

* * *

 **Back in Zega Forest, a return to focus…**

"…s…..Cr.s….ros….Cros! Please open your eyes Cros!"

Feeling weak, I could only hear bits and pieces of what was being shouted at me as I slowly returned to consciousness. I opened my eyes slowly, only to feel them water when I see who was kneeling besides me motionless body crying her eyes out over what must be a sorry sight. My sister, in her HDD form, was right beside me, and based on the comfort I found my head in, she moved me onto her lap while I was out. When she saw my eyes open and my reaction to seeing her, she threw her arms around me and pulled me into the tightest hug we ever shared, something that sent pain shooting through my body.

"Oh Cros! Thank the True Goddess you are alive! When I saw you just lying there, covered in…I just didn't know how to react. I'm just so glad you are okay."

Slightly worried on why she had a pause in her words after 'covered in' I tilted my head to look down at myself. The sight made me shoot my hand to my mouth as a wave of nausea swept over me. The source of my pain was the fact that my body was covered in scratches and cuts of various depths. From those, what remained of my clothes was stained a deep red, and clung to my body soaked in blood. Had I not been a Goddess myself, I probably would've been dead already…

"Ver…t… Wha-. What happened?"

With a choked voice I asked my sister what was going on. The last thing I remember was being in the center of the forest. On all sides of me, partially hidden by the trees, I was surrounded by the 5 Fenrir I came out to subdue. As they encroached on me, I prayed for my sister to come save me, but just from looking at the situation I am now in, and the way the terrain looks after waking up, that was not the case…

My head rolled lazily around as I tried to collect my bearings, but when I saw what happened to the forest my eyes went wide. Surrounding me, in almost a perfect circle, was a new clearing about 60 yards wide. Large gashes in the earth was all that remained of where trees once stood strong. What trees that were left in the area were now impaled on the bodies of the 5 wolves that attacked me. Their bodies were twisted in a way that showed extreme force was used to not only spear them with the large rods of wood, but to also contort their bodies in ways that would make anyone feel ill.

"Don't worry about it Cros, I'm taking you home now. We will get you checked out so you can just lay in bed and rest. I'll even stay with you until you fall asleep if you would like, okay?"

Vert collected her balance and picked me up princess style before standing up. The sudden movement sent shots of pain coursing through my body, even forcing me to audibly cry out in pain, an act that nearly brought my sister to tears. As we floated into the sky, I was able to get a greater perspective of what I was laying in the middle of. It wasn't just like a perfect circle that the new clearing appeared to be, it was in fact one. Probably the most jarring thing I noticed was right where we once were on the ground. Perfectly made so that I was in the center, a large "X" scarred the earth. It was jagged around the edges and savagely deep, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel like I knew where that design came from. Exhaustion made my eyes sting from looking at this, so I turned my head back to focus on my sis.

On her face was the most pained expression I've ever seen from her. She was scared, terrified, of what she just saw. I don't know when she got there, how long I was out, or the details of how I ended up like that, but she was absolutely shaken at what she saw. Even her arms weren't steady, I felt like I was in a massage chair for a bit with how much she kept shaking, which even knowing the implications felt nice. Through the pain, I lifted my limp left hand and placed it on her cheek. I didn't know what happened, or how I got like that, but one thing was for certain. My sister came for me, and now she was with me, and that was all that mattered. Noticeably shocked, Vert took a second to register the touch of my cut up and slightly sticky hand on her. With as disgusting as it probably felt she still nuzzled into it at the touch, and even through pained tears she wore the most genuine smile. Even while it hurt like hell, I turned my body in her arms to wrap my arms around her. She welcomed my hug by holding me closer, and the warmth from her body helped ease the pain my wounds were pulsating with. Before my consciousness left me again and I fell into a peaceful sleep, I said the words that I know probably caused her to cry even more, but at least they partially could've been out of happiness this time.

"Thank you for saving me sis… I knew that if I prayed for you to come, you would be there… I'm sorry I let you down, but I'm happy that I get to be in your arms again…"

When we got back to the Basilicom, Vert put me not in my bed, but her own. Bandages covered my body and Vert was still a mess, but she held me in her arms while I slept. When I awoke the next day, I remember feeling bliss from being with the sister I've missed for so long, and then dread with not knowing what exactly happened before I blacked out. _I need to find out what happened, and why I don't remember a thing after praying for my sister…._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everyone, gonna keep this short. Secrets about Cros will be revealed soon, and a new threat will force Gamindustri to pull together to face it, even if not everyone is ready for the fight...**


	8. Chapter 8: Breaking the Gates

A few days passed since Vert found me lying the middle of Zega Forest near death and torn apart. My wounds have healed, but since some of the wounds were pretty deep, my muscles were sore from being cut into. When the bandages were removed, and Chika gave me the go ahead to get my own version of physical therapy in, I limped out into my personal little "training area", where my friendship with the Oracle really started. My sister had little training dummies installed that would recover over time, so I wouldn't have to worry about holding back against them while I worked my body over from being bedridden for so long. I ignored summoning my daggers for today, as the quick, tight movements of combat with them would be too much too soon. I need to stretch my muscles, not tear the scars open so soon after being given clearance to do this. Instead, I just called my gloves into being and went right to my wires. To make sure my body remembered how to maneuver them, I started out with just creating shapes, the thin wires glistening in the sunlight to show me if I succeeded. Smiling when I was confident enough with simple movements, I moved onto combat training. I used a few simple techniques; regular combos where I smash, swipe, and constrict with the peculiar weapons to test how well my body could handle it. Confident in my strength, I jumped into my special attacks, which may have been a mistake.

"Eat this, **Sonic Spiral!** "

Spinning my body around I whip all 16 of my gems around. While using my wind magic to add greater force to the blow by speeding up their rotation, I wrap the final three in line in compact twisters which encircle and barrage the dummy with powerful winds and cuts of magic. I called my wires back and had them click back into place, seeing how the damage was to the target. Whatever material Vert had them fashioned out of was gouged and had splintered under the impacts from my gems. I was happy with my improvement, as that was my weakest attack and still did so much damage now, to the point where I jumped into the air in excitement. The pain in my stomach however made me stop that as soon as I started and had me double over. Putting my hand over it I felt it oddly warm and moist, and I knew I wasn't sweating just yet, seeing as I was just getting warmed up.

Blood…

The deepest wound I sustained was a large gash on the left side of my stomach. It wasn't deep enough to hit anything vital, but enough that it was the one that hasn't fully healed like all the others. Keeping pressure on it with my hand I stumbled my way into the Basilicom, using the wall to keep me from falling on my face from the pain. As usual, I was deep enough into the building that we didn't get much foot traffic from the workers here, seeing as it was closer to our living space and Vert's "collection rooms". I first tried seeing if Vert was in her room, but knocking on the door produced no answers. I tried Chika's room as it was next on the way, but no one was there either. Figuring the time in my head, I figured they would be in the kitchen since it was about lunch time, and the smell of cooking meat confirmed my suspicion. I tried to look as dignified as possible while bleeding from my side, but luckily at first no one noticed the injury as they greeted me. I didn't wanna make Vert worry even more.

"Hey there Cros, was just making up some fried potatoes for lunch, want some?"

Chika asked over her shoulder with a smile, but when she looked at the way my face was, she knew instantly what was up. Shaking my head at that inquiry, I told her that I would love some lunch, but need to sit down for a bit. Vert, having been called out on work, wasn't there, but a note was left for me on the table from her.

"My lovely Cros. - I apologize for not being able to have lunch with my cute little sister, but stupid Neptune has called me over to Planeptune to try and arrange a little get together for the CPU Candidates. At first they put me on the line to kind of get to me about being sisterless, but when I told them that I had you they fell over and insisted I come to help plan this. I'm so excited to show you off, so make sure you be on your best behavior! I promise to be home before dinner so don't worry too much, and don't push yourself too hard. I don't want you injuring yourself again now that you finally are feeling a bit better. I love you! - Vert"

Sighing, I put the letter down and fall into my seat. The bleeding has mostly stopped, so sitting wasn't going to be an issue. Chika brought over the potatoes, which were plated with a tossed salad and a piece of chicken, and then sat down to look right into my eyes while crossing her legs. I started to eat, ignoring the look of disapproval she was giving me, and I would've been able to play it off had the pain not started to return as I moved.

"Wow Chika, this is really tasty! When did you become such a great cook? You look fantastic by the way, have I told you that yet?"

She gives me the most deadpan look possible as I _smoothly_ compliment her to try and get her mind off my condition.

"Don't give me that young lady. You over did it didn't you? After _I_ told Vert you have recovered enough to move around, you go ahead and reopen the wound on your stomach. If she was here, not only would she wrap you up like a mummy, pin you to the bed, and make you stay there until you grow old, but then she would unleash her rage on me for letting you do that to yourself. After you eat, we are redressing that wound, and washing your shirt too, don't want that stain setting in."

* * *

I sat on my bed with a new set of bandages around my waist. Luckily the bleeding stopped when I thought it did, so there wasn't much that needed to be done but apply new gauze and wrap it up. Still without a shirt on, I stared at the mirror where I first came in contact with myself. The me then seemed like such a long time ago, even if was just over a month now. My hair has grown to the point where I need to pull it into a small ponytail if I don't want it getting everywhere. My body has grown stronger than it was, growing slightly hard in muscle in some spots, while still staying soft where it counted. Though, out of all the changes, there was one that didn't occur that I would've liked. I already know that the other Candidates won't believe I'm Vert's little sister, since I'm severely lacking in one place that she has excelled in.

"I know I'm not the most girly one here, but it doesn't mean I want to look like a boy. I want at least something to work with here."

Scars covered my exposed skin, crisscrossing all over my chest and abdomen. Most would fade right away, but some look like they would be staying with me for at least a few years. Looking at my face, I felt something weird shift inside my stomach, but couldn't put my finger on it. Nothing seemed too off. My earrings could use an update, as I have worn them since I was born. My face was only dirtied when sis found me so there were no marks to speak of on it. What was it that was worrying me so much?

As I looked into my own eyes, I had to take as step back. My hands flew up to my head as pain started swirling around it like a twister in my brain. Trying to peek back up at the mirror, some memories clicked into place, mainly why I recognized the mark in the earth where Vert found me. The "X" that was scarred into the earth was the exact same as the golden ones crossing my eyes, a unique characteristic I chalked up to just being one of my many charm points. Somehow though, fragments of memory flashed in my head at the sight of it, all from the time where I blacked out.

* * *

 _The Fenrir surrounded me, slowly each one circling to find the perfect attack angle while reducing the risk of my escape in conjunction with the others. I was defenseless, scared to the point where I couldn't move. The first one rushed me, bound at me at a speed that would never touch me had I been in the right of mind. I fell backwards in fear, which was the trigger for the others to rush in as well. Throwing caution to the wind I activated HDD. If I was gonna die here, it wasn't going to be without a fight._

 _The first to come at me crashed into me, but I was strong enough to stop the giant claws from touching me and possibly tearing me in two. I slashed back, my Tempest Raiment turning into gauntlets like sister wears, the gems on the knuckles turning into claws on my fingertips. Firing off a barrage of blows, I knock the one in my face away, but there were no injuries to speak of. Something felt off about this whole encounter, but I couldn't quite figure it out until I looked at the next two pouncing at me. My eyes widening, I saw that parts of their bodies had a strange marking on them, similar to circuitry on a motherboard dyed red. As they moved, the circuits glowed brightly, causing their bodies to almost become overclocked, gaining speed and momentum. Before I realized it, I was in deep trouble. The sped up passed my limit, and began almost using skills on me that knocked me to the ground and breaking my HDD._

 _The air escaped my lungs, and my body refused to take more in. All I could do was lay there gasping for breath while 5 murderous Fenrir stood over my soon to be corpse. Once again, I prayed to whoever would listen to make it out alive. I prayed for my sister to come in any second, blow these monsters away, then hold me in her arms to ease my fears. I screamed at the top of my lungs how much I didn't want my short life to end there, even though in the back of my mind I knew that no one would hear me this deep in the forest. The wolf that I assumed was the pack leader bent it's muzzle down to my face. The demonic eyes burned with a bloodlust that even wild beasts would be terrified of, and the fangs that were soaked in the saliva of a hungry animal glistened to their armor rending points._

 _It walked over to my left side, and for whatever reason, lifted its front paw. As it brought it down, I felt a light pain, and a burning hot sensation. I steeled myself and looked at the source of the heat, which only made the pain explode to new levels. The large gash now in my side caused the fabric around it to quickly turn red, and a puddle began forming under me. Even though I saw this happening, I could not believe that I was lying on the forest floor, surrounded by Fenrir, and bleeding out because I was too scared and too weak to protect myself._

" _Vert… I'm so sorry…"_

 _The words I choked out were the only things that could be heard besides the screaming I released as the 4 remaining wolves encroached. I remember praying one last time for the power to survive, the power to get back to my sister, and the power to obliterate these wolves for harming so many people. After my silent prayer, I saw a small light float from the sky to just outside arms reach in front of me. The light spoke to me, saying… "Do…power…receive…wish…protect…accept?"_

 _I pleaded with it for another way, any other possibility but that to save my life, and it gave me a single question that I had no option of ever saying no to._

" _Would you give your life to protect others?"_

 _When it heard my answer, it flew into my hand. I felt a rush of power as my body lifted off the ground. My eyes burned like a blazing inferno, yet somehow I knew it was some kind of strength awakening inside me. The cross just had to have been lifted. In a flurry of wind, four giant blades of pure magic crossed below me, creating a massive "X" in the ground. The raging storm now inside me and surrounding me tore me apart, but it gave me a second chance…_

* * *

Cradling my head, I realized that it was a memory better left forgotten, as the pain seemed to return to every single spot on my body. Seeing what I did to those monsters, what I did with my own hands, terrified me. Sweat began pouring down my neck, and eventually I just was curled in a ball on the floor. Whimpering like a lost dog, I considered yelling for Vert, Chika, anyone in ear shot to come to my room. I needed someone to come save me from myself, from the demons that were reawakened in my head. The mirror taunted me, showing a vision of myself that depicted a cold blooded killer with no regard for mercy. I recoiled in fear at the girl staring back at me, judging me for my weakness. I snapped. Summoning my Tempest Raiment, I did something that brought both my sisters running towards my room.

"S-s-s-s-torm… **Storm Impact!** "

My attack crashed into the glass, shattering the mirror into a fine powder. In my state the attack didn't just stop there, it crashed through my door, ripping it off the hinges and decimating the frame it stood on. Continuing still, it bored a hole through the wall of the Basilicom, breaking every window on that side in the hall. Following the explosion of dust and debris, I began shrieking. Words were not able to be formed, my fear took ahold of my entire being and sent me into a state where I wouldn't even consider it insane, it was so far gone. Footsteps came pounding down the hall, not even stopping in the rubble that now littered the floor. As soon as Vert saw the state I was in, she ran to my side and wrapped her arms around me. Chika soon followed suit and held us both. Until I passed out from a combination of exhaustion, lack of oxygen, and pain from my reopened wound, I sat there cradled by two women, both trying to console me with soft voices and light strokes of my hair.

* * *

 **A second changed perspective**

Looking at the damage Cros caused made my heart break. Neither Chika nor I knew what caused her to break down like this, but whatever it was, it was traumatic enough to make her unleash one of her strongest skills inside her own room. What few pictures of all of us and of Cros herself looking like a perfect young woman, ones she would always say were of someone else, were strewn around the room, frames shattered from the force of the wind. Chika was sitting on her bed, stroking her hair as she slept on the chance she woke and started to panic. I didn't know anything about masonry, so I would need to get a professional to make an estimate and begin repairs. Sighing I look back at my sister.

The pain on her face was still there, even while asleep she couldn't find reprieve. It was all I could do to not break everything in sight and rage at the heavens for whatever did this to her. With my fists shaking, I crossed my arms to hug myself and try to keep steady. As the older sister I need to be the strong one. I walked over to the bed and sat next to my Oracle. I needed to know what did this to Cros, and more importantly, how to save her from the pain she felt. There was only one person she could trust with this matter, someone she would normally go visit herself, but in this circumstance she was going to do something no CPU ever would ask of their Oracle.

"Chika, please go to Planeptune and beg Histoire to come here. Do whatever you need to in order to get her to agree. I don't care the price we have to pay; we need to find out how to help Cros. Even if that means kidnapping her. Bring. Her. Here."

Shocked I would even say those words, my closest friend and confidant stood up from the bed and put her hands over her mouth. Shamelessly I scooted up into her spot to lay next to my unconscious sister. I knew Chika would probably hate me, basically telling her to forgo our very lives to get the little fairy to come here and maybe not even help us. The room stayed silent for a while, with the only noise being pained cries from the sleeping girl beside me. When it was broken, my heart dropped, and tears welled up in my eyes.

"Vert. I know you are heartbroken to see Cros like this, I am too. I would do anything to save her, but throwing away the pride of our nation and begging another to save a girl they only just found out about? How could you even ask me that?"

I turned to face her, my face becoming unrecognizable as tears poured down. My breath stopped when I saw give a small smile and start to walk out the room. To stop her from leaving, I put my hand out. She looked back and grasped it with both of hers. Giving a light kiss to the back of my hand, she set it on top of Cros's, who instinctively grabbed it and wouldn't let go.

"Can't have you following me Vert. I'm about to become a terrible Oracle and sell ourselves to Planeptune. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to her and I could've stopped it."

The last thing said in that room before Chika left were words coming from the mouth of a sleeping CPU Candidate, causing both of our hearts to break.

"Ve..rt… Chi…ka… I…'m sor…ry… I… fail...ed you… Plea..se don't… hate… me"

* * *

 **Second post today, but still a cliffhanger. I needed to get this scene out before I forgot how I wanted it. This is the longest single chapter yet, just slightly shorter than 4 and 5 were as one. Cros's power is slowly coming to the surface, but can Histoire help offset the price she paid to obtain it? Will Vert be able to save her sister before she destroys herself?**


	9. Chapter 9: A Sister's Resolve

**The Grieving Sister…**

She won't wake up. I've tried everything I could while watching over her, waiting to hear from Chika if Histoire could provide any assistance at all, but nothing works. All Cros does is sleep, plagued by nightmares that cause her so much pain. I continue to wipe the sweat off her as I sing her some songs by our nation's idol, 5pb., which seems to at least ease her pain enough to stop the cries she lets out every so often. I'm used to pulling all-nighters often, but when its taking care of someone you love causing them the effects come on much sooner. It's been a couple days since I sent Chika out, and for two days I've never left Cros's side. I don't want to leave her on the chance that if I don't calm her something terrible will happen. _It all started in that damned forest. Why did the Guild let her go on that quest alone when they knew who it was?!_

I take a few breaths to try and calm my anger, but somehow the shaking never subsides. My stomach growls louder than ever before, showing that it needs more than one meal a day to function. Leaning over to kiss my precious sister on her forehead, I feel that she has a skyrocketing fever. Brushing the hair out of her face, I leave my perch on her bed for only the second time since she fell. The lack of sleep has made my motor functions slightly haywire, so I need to lean on what side of the wall is still intact. I make a note to call a contractor to figure out how to fix this, but it may be easier to call the Blanc from that other dimension to borrow her robot. I met him a couple times when I went to visit my dear Peashy, and I could tell he would be handy if ever I needed some heavy lifting done. _I just need to make it back to Cros after getting something quick to eat and a cold towel for her forehead. Better make sure I have the phone with me too for when Chika calls back. She should be arriving at Planeptune any minute now._

Even though it would've been faster to fly there myself, sending my Oracle would look a bit better to the people. Wouldn't look very good for a Goddess bowing to the ground, offering up everything possible to another nation to get even the smallest hope of salvation. Luckily, where Cros's damage was done was outside the public eye, as her room overlooks the gardens. Had it been the other way, someone could've gotten hit by falling debris, and then our Shares would've come crashing down. The rebound of losing so much power could've sent her into this state anyway, the only difference being I would be right behind her. I reached the kitchen and I had to catch myself as I nearly fell over. Gritting my teeth, I force myself up, making sure to balance myself on anything I could reach. _I already messed up as a sister once with her, and that was the reason she's in this state now._

I grab a quick cup of coffee to at least keep me awake a bit longer, not even bothering to cut the bitterness with my mint creamer. Sitting next to the coffee pot was my favorite picture. It was of Chika, Cros and I the day after I caught them being best friends after all their fighting. Our green haired sister was in the center, throwing her arms around both our shoulders and causing everyone to lean forward slightly. The littlest one was flashing her brightest smile, throwing up a victory "V" sign to accent her feelings, something that I chuckled at for looking just like Neptune. I was the only one not looking at the camera. I had a beautiful smile on, one that I've seen mother's give to their children as they play, looking directly at my family. I picked up the photo and held it against my chest, praying for that day to come back soon. The Basilicom wasn't complete without her laugh echoing in the halls, her voice calling me and Chika her favorite sisters, or her playing hard to get and dismissing our advances while turning so red. Through the tears that were falling I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"She's just like Noire in that way, hiding her true feelings."

* * *

Thinking of my friends I just looked out the window. My heart reached out to them, hoping that even without saying a word they could feel something was wrong. Gamindustri was in trouble, and my sister may have been the first casualty. Pulling me out of my trance, I hear the phone ring. Running over to where it was, I replaced the picture, making sure that there were no stains from my crying on the glass.

"Hello, this is Vert."

"Vert, it's me, Noire."

Hearing her voice out of anyone who could be there was surprising. She usually never would call me for anything outside of business, but the tone of her voice was filled with sympathy and caring. It was almost as if she knew what happened or something. I try to hide the fact I was just crying, something that may have prompted her tone, but as hard as I attempt, the pained noise still comes into my voice.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm visiting Planeptune with Uni right now. We came by to see Neptune and Nepgear, mainly because the mature one invited my sis to play some games with her. While flying here though, we saw Chika running through the streets towards the Basilicom not too long ago. She looked exhausted and incredibly stressed, so I wanted to know if everything was alright for her to be all the way here instead of by your side in Leanbox."

Suddenly a feeling of relief rushed over me. Hearing that she made it there finally means that we could hear from her soon if Histoire could provide aid for Cros. I tried to tell Noire that everything was fine, that Chika got a bit upset from me not accepting her feelings and ran away from home, but the words that came out wouldn't stop.

"No, Noire, nothing's alright. Cros, she… She's hurting. Something terrible happened when she was out on a quest, and now whatever trauma she locked away from that time has been brought to the surface. She flipped out and blew through a few walls in the Basilicom. Now… she's in a coma. She's been asleep for the past two days, a sleep racked with nightmares that never end for her. The fever won't go away, and she is constantly crying out for me… I don't know what to do…"

As I continue speaking the words I never wanted to say, I get more and more hysterical. Keeping it in for this long has been terrible, and now unfortunately Noire is the one to take all of the pent up emotions.

"It's all my fault! The day before she left for the quest we had a fight, so she must've taken it to get me off her mind. I was stupid and glued to my computer for five days straight, and she was kind enough to worry about me… She didn't deserve this! If anything I should be the one out cold and fighting the demons, not her! I sent Chika there to ask Histoire for any help, to offer up our entire lives, Leanbox and all if she needs to, just to get her to come here. I've run out of options, I don't know what to do Noire!"

Uni must have been nearby during my explosion to her older sister, because I noticed Noire speaking to her. All I could make out was the word "Kei", so it was something dealing with her Oracle. When she came back to the phone speaking to me, the words she said made me drop to my knees and just start crying out thanks to her.

"Vert, it's not your fault. Why didn't you just call all of us up? Yeah the four of us fight and bicker a lot, but what friends don't? I'm having Uni call up Kei now, relaying an elicit order from me that she is to assist you in the research process to all of her capabilities, making careful note to include that if she tries to require anything from you, she's going to be out in the streets and blacklisted in Gamindustri. You don't have to suffer alone, in fact, you've suffered the most out of all of us. Back when ASIC tried to take over, and we were trapped in the Graveyard for 3 years, you were the only one without anyone waiting for you back home. You were the only one without a sister of your own to welcome you back when Nepgear, Uni and the twins saved us. You haven't been a big sister for very long, so don't be afraid to make mistakes. When, and that's a definite when, not if, she wakes up, she's not going to blame you. In fact, she'll jump into your arms and never let go. Now, don't think I'm saying all this to make you feel better, I just don't like hearing you be such an idiot and beat yourself up. It would make taking your Shares waaaaaay to easy."

In true Noire fashion she ends her speech just like a traditional tsundere. The tears that fell were no longer those of pain or sadness, they were for hope and excitement. Even if Chika doesn't get Histoire, Kei is going to help us too, and every single extra person works wonders. I was about to thank my dear friend when another call started coming in on the other line.

"Sorry Noire, as much as I want to express my gratitude for everything you just said, there's another call coming in, and it looks like it's from Chika, so I need to take this. If there is anything I can do please tell me so I can repay you as soon as possible."

"Talk to your Oracle Vert, this is more important. And if you are so focused on repaying me, bring Cros to Lastation when she wakes up, I don't think I can wait until we get a party planned to meet the girl who has changed you into a good person for once."

I hear the click on the other end of the call, meaning she hung up after that. If that's all she wants, then there is no way I can refuse. Quickly picking up the other call, I hear my Oracle crying into the receiver.

"Chika, what's wrong? Why are you crying so much?"

"Vert, I just can't help it. Histoire, she's… she's already on her way there as we speak. I explained everything, and the only thing she could say was 'Why didn't you call me sooner?' and then flew off. She told the Neps that she was going to be out and took off. Vert, she didn't ask for our lives, she didn't ask for money, she didn't ask for anything. Cros… Cros is going to be okay!"

At that news, added to the information I got from Noire, I became too happy to even cry. When I told her that Noire has Kei on the trail as well, she broke down even more, prompting Nepgear to take over the phone.

"Goodness Miss Vert, sounds like you two are going through something rough. Don't worry, I know Histoire will be able to make things better. I know I'm not as important as my sister, but when Cros wakes up, could you bring her here? I would love to meet her; she sounds like such a nice girl."

"You have my word my sweet Nepgear. Though, it'll be after Uni if you can wait. I kinda already promised Noire that I'd bring her to Lastation first."

"Don't worry about it! Let me know when you go over, maybe I can convince Neptune to let me go. That way we both can meet her!"

The happiness and sweetness in her voice was contagious. Hearing her reassuring words made it impossible to stay depressed, thinking that things were my fault and that there as a chance that Cros wouldn't wake up. Armed with a new fire I say my farewells and run back to my sister's room. I ran over to the bed and grabbed hold of her hand, feeling her instinctive squeeze back, I put my hand on her cheek to stroke the hair out of her eyes again.

"We have the power of two nations helping us Cros. It won't be long now, you'll be awake and I'll be taking you with me to see all your new friends. I'll even see if I can get in touch with Blanc, but with how I'm feeling right now she may not take me seriously. We will get you back, and I'll never let you down again."

At those words, even if it was my imagination, I almost thought I saw her face soften, and a small smile crept onto her lips.

* * *

 **A muffled prayer in the dark…**

" _We will get you back, and I'll never let you down again."_

 _I could hear my sister's voice clear as day, but why couldn't I wake up? The pain is still there; my head still hurts. I just wanna get away from the demons. Vert doesn't know I can hear her. She doesn't think I heard and felt every tear and sad word she said while by my side. I just want to wake right up, wrap her in my arms and thank her._

 _Thank her for staying by my side and saving me._

 _Thank her for singing me those beautiful songs, and ask if I could get them put on my music player if it's still in one piece._

 _But most of all, I want to thank her for being my sister. Even if I don't show my feelings much. Even if I tend to be a bit harsher than I intend, she still accepts me for me. She never stops loving me just for being her sister. That is something that I want to express with all my heart._

 _Please, whoever can hear me, let me wake up. Let me see my sister and Chika again. Let me get another chance to express how much they mean to me. Don't let me float away in this black abyss of nightmares anymore, I want to be with Vert._

 _I want to be with Vert._

 _I want to… be with…_

"Ve…rt"

* * *

 **Okay, I promise the heartbreak may be going away soon. Possibly. I didn't originally mean for things to get this heavy, but the way things were playing out, it seemed like the way I needed to go in order to bring this new threat to light.**

 **Will Cros wake up tomorrow? What will Blanc think when she finds out she was left out of the loop? Will the other Candidates accept Cros, problems an all? We'll see. As always, thanks for reading guys. Catch ya again next time.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Storm Subsides

**The expectant sister…**

The wait was murderous. I had only just gotten off the phone with Chika a few hours ago, but the time crept along like a frozen dogoo over sandpaper. I couldn't control myself, so I started passing the length of the Basilicom. As time went on, my head began to weigh all the options, and my earlier confidence started to dwindle. The clock on the wall seemed to stop as I stared at it, prompting me to turn away and head to the kitchen. To calm my nerves, I put a pot of coffee on to brew and grabbed a cinnamon bun out of the fridge. I warmed it up in the microwave, filling the room with the sweet scent of cinnamon, sugar and butter. This was mixed with the earthy aroma of the coffee as it filled the carafe. It wasn't until everything was finished that I realized my mint creamer was out, killing the slight good mood building inside me. _Guess I'm going to have to settle for regular cream and sugar. Was looking forward to it too…_

Finishing preparing my coffee, I grab the bun out of the microwave, still hot yet soft as a pillow. Chika's homemade cinnamon buns stay light and airy no matter what. Sipping on my bitter coffee, I would occasionally toss a bite of the cinnamon bun into my mouth to let the sweetness melt away my worries. At least, normally that's what would happen. Today though, the sweet confection almost tasted as bitter as the coffee. Without anyone to share it with, nothing tasted right today. If to make a point about the storm of emotions raging inside my heart, the sky outside began to darken with rain clouds. I remember seeing on Chirper that there was supposed to be a large thunderstorm today. My mind instantly went to the little fairy speeding her way here on my request.

"I hope Histoire gets here before it starts coming down…"

Almost immediately as the words left my mouth, I got a call saying there was a visitor at the front desk asking to come in the back. He had a surprised tone in his voice, but one that expressed exactly what was going on. In the back ground I heard a certain fairy evolving into "Pissty" as she was getting held up when I requested her to come. Giving my permission, I heard the worker start up the elevator for our guest. I sprinted over to the door that let out into our living areas full of anticipation, excitement, and fear. When the doors opened and Histoire was floating there with a comforting smile on her face, I nearly threw my arms around her and smothered her in my chest.

Dressed in her usual purple robes and matching headdress, her blond hair was in her standard tight pigtails with two groups hanging down into a light curl on either side of her face. The gold trim around her clothes shined lightly in the dim elevator lights, and the white lace at the edges was enough to give the impression the clothes were a size too large for the Oracle. Her wings of pure Share energy sparkled beautifully, and a blue data "halo" separated her from the indigo hardbound tome she flew on. In all, I think she would be the first one to be considered truly "moe" when you think about our little group, if you don't go to Rom first.

"Histoire… I cannot begin to thank you enough for just coming so suddenly. When I told Chika to let you know we will give anything to Planeptune as an offering for you to help us, I meant it. Name your price and its yours. Just please… please save Cros… I don't know what I would do without her…"

"It's okay Vert. We don't require anything from you for this. Seeing you mature so much with the birth of your sister is a wonderful thing, and on top of that, Neptune and Nepgear keep saying how much they want to see her. Neptune is actually getting work done to free up the time if you can believe that!"

We share a light chuckle at the thought of Neptune of all people working to get free time to meet my sister. Thinking toward the time where all 9 of us can be together, CPUs and their CPU Candidates, brings a smile to my face. She's only a month old but is working so hard, so is it so wrong I wanna show off my wonderful little sister to my friends? Coming back to reality I take a sterner and more serious expression. Leading her, I bring Histoire through the kitchen and into the hall where my storage rooms were lined up. At the very end were Chika's, Cros's and my rooms and my guest let out a gasp when she saw the damage still there.

"I'm sorry Histy, I keep meaning to call someone to clean this up but with everything going on my mind hasn't been able to keep a straight train of thought. This is the aftermath of my little Cros's… outburst. I'm glad I wasn't standing right in front of the door when this happened, or else I might not be standing here and Cros would be in worse shape than she is in now. This was three days ago, and she hasn't woken up yet."

The scene that clearly demonstrated the power of the Leanbox CPU Candidate made Histoire's face drain of color. She must've been thinking that if I snapped and invaded Planeptune even Neptune would have a tough time stopping us. I hid the slight satisfaction and pride that came from this thought and showed her into the room. Before the little Oracle could fly over to my sleeping sister, I rushed over to wipe the sweat that was building up on her from me not being in here. Her hair started to stick to her face, so I did my best to try it and move it out of the way. When I was satisfied with it, I slid down to her hand and held it lovingly.

* * *

"Alright Histoire. While it isn't the best introduction possible, this is my little sister and CPU Candidate of Leanbox, Cros."

She flew over to the bed and landed her book at the top of the pillow, close enough that she could lean over and touch both of Cros's temples with her little hands. A small look of worry sat on her face, but as she looked up at me all I saw was one of love and consideration.

"She's very beautiful Vert, no one can say that she's not your sister. Just from feeling the flow of energy through her, she seems like she's normally relaxed, but gets very excitable when something interesting comes her way."

This description that the fairy came to just by feeling her energy was spot on. I even made a small laugh at how accurate she knew Cros already, even without speaking or spending time with her. I leaned in to kiss my sister on the forehead and rested my hand on her cheek. My eyes started to burn as tears started to form. I tried to stay strong while Histoire was here, but my emotions were starting to fail me. I was breaking down in front of an opposing Oracle. Even if we all are friends, our four nations are still competing for Shares and now I'm showing my weakness to someone who could take everything from me. The thought that normally would've scared me to death felt hollow since that would be the minimum I would give for her safety right now. I dropped my head down against Cros's and tried to hold the tears in, but to no avail. As I cried for about the hundredth time since this ordeal started, Histoire sat there, rubbing my head with one of her tiny hands.

"You are a strong woman Vert. I don't think anyone else could've held it together as long as you have. I can bet no one would've gone to the lengths you did either without weighing out every other possible option had this happened to one of the other Candidates. You must really love her don't you?"

A sad smile through the tears was all the answer I could give to the question.

"Now, while I don't want to break you to apart, to get started I need some space to concentrate. I can't go into specifics right now, but while reading her energy levels I noticed an imbalance throughout her body that was breaking down her personal Share levels. Some sort of outside power has created zones where her own power is being shut up and dissipated before it spreads further. If I can restore the balance and remove these zones, she should be able to wake up. It'll take some time so I recommend finding something to occupy yourself, but it should take about 3 hours."

Hearing the words, "she should be able to wake up", made my heart sing. Taking a hint from my little savior, I got up from the bed. I didn't even mind "classic Histy's" expected time, it wasn't 3 days or 3 weeks, it was just 3 short hours and I would have my sister back. To kill time, I ran out of the Basilicom and headed to the market. Tonight Chika and I would be making Cros's favorite dishes.

* * *

Three hours passed, and Histoire hasn't come out of the room yet. Completely expecting my sister to run down the hall any minute looking for food or to hug her darling big sister, Chika and I started making her favorite meal: French onion soup, roasted chicken and grilled eggplant. We made sure to get extra of everything, especially eggplant, for Histoire to take home for her family. Outside a storm was pouring down on the world, soaking everything unfortunate not to be under protection right now. Before she came home, Chika bought a tarp to put over the hole in the wall to prevent the hall from flooding in this downpour.

Currently we were sitting at the table, food all set out, waiting for someone to come down the hall. After waiting 10 minutes, Chika suggested we should start eating, wanting to get a warm meal in her stomach after her long journey. Like a true lady, she cut her food into small bites and chewed them completely before going for another. While I had no doubt the food was delicious and filled with love, all I could do was spin the cheese around in the soup with my spoon. Much like my coffee and cinnamon bun, nothing tasted right without Cros here awake. Seeing me still depressed, Chika put her silverware down and cleared her throat to catch my attention.

"You know darling, Cros wouldn't be very happy to see you moping around like this. She would first hit you on the side of your head for wasting this food, which I remind you are her favorites, and then proceed to tell you how you have to look out for yourself and keep healthy. In some ways, she acts like a better big sister than you do."

The words hurt more than intended, so my response was filled with spite and apprehension.

"Well it's because they are her favorites I can't eat. Without her nothing is the same. I can't even enjoy this without thinking of her."

While both of us were deep in thought, we heard a certain fairy talking to someone in the hall. We were so focused on our own problems we didn't even hear the footsteps following that voice…

* * *

 **A few minutes prior…**

I felt a warmth spread throughout my body as I laid in my bed. The heat seemed to melt all the places where pain would not stop throbbing away, leaving me feeling lighter than before. I lost all sense of time when everything went black, but this is the best I've felt in what must have been days. Being able to hear some of what was being said, but not being able to react at all, I could only tell that I have been asleep for too long, and that Vert was worried about me. When all the lumps of pain in my body were melted away, I felt my own warmth return to my limbs, like part of me was blocked off from the rest and it finally has returned to its rightful spot. Along with that, I felt two tiny little bumps on either side of my forehead and that seemed to be the source of the external warmth that healed my pain. Slowly my eyes opened, closing shut a few times as I adjusted to the light that I've been missing for a few days now.

When I could have them completely open I let out a great yawn and stretched, apparently startling my little visitor, startling me in return. I jumped up so that I could face my pillow and look at the little person who was now splayed out on a book at the top of my bed. The blond little fairy looked up at me confused, but slowly that turned into a face of pure excitement.

"Hello Cros, I am Histoire, Oracle of the nation of Planeptune. Your sister asked me to come here to help you feel better, so it is a great pleasure to meet you, CPU Candidate of Leanbox."

At the incredibly polite and slightly adorable introduction from this moe fairy, I pinched my cheek to make sure I still wasn't asleep and that the nightmares only just have ceased. The pain that caused me to wince was evidence enough to show I was awake. Throwing manners out the window, because of the whole just waking up thing, I used a finger to mess up the little one's hair and gave a much needed laugh at the adorable pout that came as a response.

"Hahaha, ha… Sorry. I couldn't help myself. You may be even cuter than me, if only by a little bit. I guess you are my actually fairy godmother sent to wake up Sleeping Beauty eh?"

Blushing, Histoire laughs off my comment and begins getting to know me. For a few minutes we just sat there, asking and answering questions about each other. At first I was skeptical, having never met her before, but I remembered back to the video meeting Vert had me watch and I remembered why she seemed familiar. I warmed up to her soothing voice and just ended up retelling most of my whole month of life.

"…And that brings us to now I guess Histy. I feel terrible that I've made Vert worry about me for so long, I should really do something special to make it up to her and Chika. Maybe I could make them dinner if they are out? When they come back they not only will be surprised to see me, but to see a full spread out on the table!"

My mouth watered at my own idea, triggering my stomach's answer to not having any food for the past few days. The loud roar almost drowned out the sound of the rain, bringing color back to my face. I brushed my shoulder-length hair out of my face and quickly threw it up into a ponytail with a scarlet and black floral ribbon. As I made my way to the hole that used to be my door I realized that I wasn't the most modestly dressed girl in the room, and quickly threw on a pair of forest green slacks and a black V-neck shirt I had in the drawer. Slightly weak from my mini coma, I used the intact wall as support as I walked down the hall with my floating partner beside me. As we walked she told me stories of how Vert was before, all the way back to when she got trapped in the Gamindustri Graveyard by ASIC and the Deity of Sin's Four Felons. Just the thought of her bound and drained for three years made my blood boil, which made me light headed in my weakened state.

"If I was alive then, nothing would have gotten in my way of saving her. And she wouldn't have felt so alone when the others finally did show up…"

Trailing off I see my family at the dinner table. Neither noticed my approach, nor Histoire cautioning me to take it easy, for reasons of "my energy balance hasn't stabilized" or something along those lines. As a main character who has taken way too much time off, I was more than able to do something as simple as sneak up on these 2. Seeing what was laid out for dinner made my mouth water like crazy, my favorite dishes looking like heaven on a plate or in a bowl. It wasn't until I got right up to the table and spoke did they notice me, causing them to drop their silverware mid bites, and Chika almost choking because she had a piece of chicken sticking out of her mouth.

"So ladies, got any of that delicious looking grub lying around somewhere for me? I'm starving! Though, some nerve you got for not wai-"

My last line was cut short as Vert bounded out of her seat and tackled me into a hug, pinning me against the kitchen island. Chika followed suit soon after, after Histy helped her with the choking. Hearing their cries of happiness and seeing how relieved they were to see me up and walking made my own tears come.

"I missed you two so much. Don't you dare let me do that ever again. I couldn't handle not seeing my sisters for so long…"

The rest of the night was spent in pure joy as we rode the high of being a family once again.

* * *

 **Sorry for not posting for a couple days. Writer's block is a terrible thing when you just want to keep writing. Gonna keep this short to get the chapter out to you guys, so thank you for the patience.**

 **As always thank you for reading, and hope you stick around for the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11: A Grip on Fate

"Today is going to be a long day. Do you really need to follow me everywhere Chika?"

True, up until yesterday I was in a deep three-day coma, but after a good meal and a real night's sleep, which was hard to get with two full grown women each with 2 overgrown plot points taking up space in the bed, I felt stronger than ever. Whatever Histy did to wake me up seemed to do wonders on my power reserves, because somehow I feel like not even a Fenrir would be a match for me without transforming. I instantly shudder at that thought thinking about what started this entire mess. But being the overprotective mess she is, Vert didn't want me going out on my own. She actually was pleading with our Oracle to be the one to escort me on quests today, but thankfully Chika talked her out of it, saying she had to stay and catch up on paperwork. When she brought up the contract with construction workers to get the gigantic hole in the Basilicom closed up I couldn't help but slide away in embarrassment for being the reasoning behind it.

To tell you the truth, I both was happy and saddened at this turn of events. On one hand, I get to chill with my best friend and show off a bit to Chika, possibly earning the chance to make a round of the stores if I show her I'm still capable. Also it means that I don't have sis jumping on every little thing and pointing her lance at anything that bumps me. On the other, spending time with Vert was something that I longed for since even before the whole coma deal, and showing her just how strong I've become would do wonders with her deciding whether or not I can quest outside of Leanbox by myself soon. I want to explore the world that I was born into, but when I'm tied to an Oracle or older sister, my leash only goes so far before yanking me back. Letting out a dramatic sign fit for any main character, I turn to face my escort.

"So, just gonna slink behind me while I do all the work, or are you gonna act like my sister and slaughter everything before I can even take a breath?"

The question hung in the air before Chika looked up from the ground. Apparently she wasn't exactly focused on this whole following me thing. In fact, if I didn't almost wave my hands in her face, she wouldn't have lifted her head enough to meet my eyes. _I don't know what's gotten into her today, but damn it, I will cheer you up Chika._

"Okay missy. You can't be a member of my supporting cast without being a bit happier. I'll just leave you behind if you don't fess up and say what's bothering you. Come on, I'll buy ya some pudding~~!"

Getting no reaction from her made me annoyed, causing me to spin on my heels and continue leading to the gate. Today's quest was something that didn't need two people, clearing out a few Moulin Rouge mobs and taking their petals back to the Guild. Not even caring about making myself subtle walking down the path towards the dungeon entrance, I summon my weapons and do a few practice shots on unsuspecting trees along the way. Not even this display garnered a look from my depressed party member. _Maybe after showing off some will wake her up._

* * *

I crack my knuckles. Pulling my daggers out of the earthy ground stirred up the scent of dirt and grass that my nose has been used to since we walked into the forest. The first words since leaving the Basilicom from Chika were that we should take a quick break to have some tea before fighting. I thought we would use that time to catch up, but whenever I looked over she either looked into her cup absently or was giving me a sad expression. Something was bothering her but she wouldn't tell me, and this just pissed me off even more.

I was itching for a fight when I saw the first batch of flowers dancing around near the entrance. Rushing in with my daggers I didn't give time for Chika to catch up or summon her lance. With an upward slash, I cut through the first of the circle, shattering it into bits of data, and the momentum carried me over to the next one. This one tried to hit me with a magic attack, but I slid underneath and drove the tip of my blade through the bulb from underneath. Again the scattering data bounced through the air, but this one leaving a small box in its place. A slight smile grew on my face as that meant the first of 6 petals just dropped. Something blunt hit me in the back, causing me to fall forward. Spinning in the air I land on my knees, watching as one of the Moulin Rouges stumbled to catch its balance after slamming into me. Apparently seeing me get hit was enough to rouse Chika a bit, because she finally came from behind with her lance ready.

" **Rainy Ratnapura!** "

From what Vert told me, that was one of the most powerful attacks in Leanbox. In the blink of an eye, Chika sent her lance flying 8 times, piercing the remaining 3 flowers multiple times each. She spun her lance around as the creatures burst into more data, leaving behind 2 more petal drops. With those added to the one I found, we were halfway to the quota of the quest, but I couldn't help but bite my lip. I was supposed to be showing off to her, not having her save my ass when I was fine! Brushing the dirt off my knees I took off deeper into the forest before she could see the annoyance growing on my face. I ran until I found another cluster of 5 of the flowers, with one that seemed to be the leader off to the side. Not wanting to hold back any longer I leapt into the air before reaching the clearing they were at. Doing a spin in the air, I threw my daggers so that they were both 10 yards from where my feet would land, directly in the center of the circle of monsters. As I made contact with the ground, I clapped my hands together, and a gust of wind blew through the area. The rings on my daggers started jingling, and the holes produced an eerie sound as the wind blew through the uneven surface. As the monsters around me seemed to slow down, I uttered the name of the technique I was so close to mastering with my weapons.

" **Ventus Abyss.** "

The noise from the daggers rose in pitch to the point it was no longer detectable, but the monsters were already trapped in its effects. The noise produced by the holes in conjunction with the rings creates an area where subsonic vibrations in the air disturb the equilibrium of anyone who hears them. I say I am only close to mastering it because the noise still affects me, but not to the same degree as the monsters. To them, they are so messed up in the head now they can't perceive me correctly, causing them to misjudge distance and speed. I don't even need to use the gems on the wrist of my gloves, only the impact shots from the knuckles and the techniques I learned from Tekken are more than enough to finish these off. I start off with a straight punch to knock over one of the closer flowers, following up with a right cross boosted by my gems shooting out to deliver the killing blow. When no item dropped, I wasted no time to sweep the next one while dropping low. Pushing off the ground, I leap back onto my feet as I see Chika step into the clearing. I give her a smirk as I deliver another killing blow to the group, still no drop though. _Alright, I'm pissed now…_

I rolled my feet up so I was standing on the balls while bending my knees. Using all my force I jump into the air and unleash the gems on my right wrist while anchoring myself with the knuckle ones on my left. Reeling in the wires anchored to the ground, I fly towards the earth spinning the other gems around my fist. Right before impact I shoot my right knuckle gems out, giving enough boost to the strike to destroy the remaining 3 mobs in a single hit. This time 2 more petals dropped, and only the "leader" remained.

" **Storm Impact** , ya stingy jerks."

A small ringing in my head told me it was about time for my **Ventus Abyss** to shut down, leaving me only about 10 seconds do bash this last one down and claim the reward. Wasting no time, I sped towards it, readying another attack. This time it would be the full force on a single target, not spread out like I just did. For extra force, I wrap my left hand gems around the tree directly behind the target to pull me closer even faster. Only 5 seconds remained as I was within striking distance. I was about to unleash hell on this Moulin Rouge when I noticed something that sent my concentration completely off and caused me to crash into the tree. Not only was the damn thing sleeping while I was about to try and kill it, it sported the same design as those 5 Fenrir from before. _Why?! Why now do you have to be like them?!_

I try to recover from the impact but the nausea takes over. The fear of that happening again grips my lungs and makes it hard to breathe. The daggers keeping my field in place dissolved into data as I was hunched over on the ground. Digging my fingers into the ground, I force myself back to use the tree as support. I feel the bark dig into my back as I inch myself standing, still somehow not waking up the sleeping monster. This could be my time to break this curse on my heart and get over my fears! I ready my daggers to bring my battlefield back up, but as I throw them they vanish in midair. _Damn it! I don't have enough energy to use that right now…_

Giving up on that plan, I try to go for my one shot kill method once more. With the lack of distance, I won't be able to add more damage with momentum, so just a straight up burst is gonna have to cut it. Pulling my arm back I trigger the spinning gems, and prepare to drive my fist through this flower to end the quest, hopefully. I step passed the monster to get even a little extra force, but as soon as I do it spins around faster than I can react. Everything that came after seemed to happen in slow motion.

* * *

The strange Moulin Rouge whipped its head around to face me, faster than anything could have realistically, the red circuitry on its stomach and back burning with life. Some sort of magical circle formed in front of its mouth, spinning and whirring to a dizzying pace. My fist seemed to move centimeters at a time, the gems no longer churning a raging tornado towards my target. I saw a blast being charged from the thing's mouth. The light grew increasingly blinding as the size of the flare increased, and at this range there was no hope to dodge. I closed my eyes and tried to shield myself with my left hand, foolishly thinking that alone could save me from the danger. I began to feel the heat engulf me as the flash overtook me…

At least that's what I thought was gonna happen until I felt a shove from my side. Right before the attack was unleashed Chika covered the distance between where she entered the clearing and the tree, most likely sprinting after I crashed into it, and used that force to move me out of the blast's path. Instead, where I would've been standing was now her, a smile on her face as she saved me from the attack. Electricity sparked through the air as the magical blast tore through the space. I hit the ground hard enough to jar me back to my senses. My jaw dropped as I saw the beam not only cut through where Chika was now, but disintegrating the tree that was once my support. I tried to cry out, but until the roar of the energy was dead and the light disappeared my voice caught in my throat. As the heat died down, I was stunned to see her in one piece. Her body was smoking and there were burns from the blast, but she was completely intact. I couldn't tell if she was still alive or not from where I was, but I knew I didn't care. All I knew is I wanted to make this thing pay for hurting her. Tears welled up on the corners of my eyes and at this moment the only thing I felt was pure rage.

"Chika! Okay. That's it you damn overgrown weed! I don't think I can hold back any longer! It's time to stop being afraid. If I fail now, no one is going to come bailing my ass out this time. It's time to change this fate with my own two hands… Access!"

Energy spun around me as I transformed into my HDD form. Truthfully, I wasn't sure if this boost was enough to take down this Moulin Rouge. Even if it was the same type of monster as those Fenrir, it seems much more powerful if it can pull off an attack of that magnitude, something unheard of for the species. I couldn't take my sweet time and use finesse to finish this, I needed something strong and something fast now. It was then when the voice crept into my head again.

 _Would you give your life to protect the ones you love?_

Without any hesitation, I give the answer that rages through my heart at this situation. Whatever this voice is, it can give me the ability to win, I just need to pay the price.

"I don't give a damn what you want from me. If it means I can put this thing in its place for hurting Chika, then take all you need. But this time, don't screw with me and make me pass out. This is my body, so these are my rules."

 _Your answer has been accepted. Prepare for…_

The voice trails off, the now overly sluggish monster slowly turned to face me at the sound of my voice, and began charging another attack. The words spoken in my head gave me the tool necessary to finish this battle and bring Chika home to rest. The true price isn't something to worry about right now, but now that I am conscious, I will not mess it up this time.

"This is more like it… Access system override! **Hard Drive Xceleration, Overclock!** "

Unlike last time, there was no blast of wind or blacking out. My physical summoning of my latent power came with another pillar of light, one that caused the Moulin Rouge to stop in its tracks. My outfit changed drastically, as well as my appearance from my HDD form. In this new HDX form, _guess that's what we are sticking with for the name_ , I seemed to go back to my regular appearance of a 14-year-old girl. My clothes were now though completely different. The long sleeved green shirt I wore was now a regular white shirt, but with emerald green bolts coming around the sides and converging their points at my solar plexus. Over that was a simple black vest with gold trim and an amber colored fur lightly accenting the collar. The slacks I had on were no longer pure black with a green stripe, but now with green bolts sprouting from the ankle hole and a crimson "X" pattern emblazoned on either side. My hair no longer had its golden shine, instead dulling to a striking silver with a single emerald tuff falling just to the side of my right eye. The hair tie I had to hold my hair into a ponytail was gone, my shoulder length hair now flowing freely behind me. Aside from the immense power increase I felt, I noticed one other drastic change.

I no longer wore gloves to denote my weapon, and I could no longer get my daggers to form. Instead, two mechanical looking black longswords with the words "Overclock" engraved in the blade appeared in my hands, and sprouting from the back of my vest were 16 wires, each with a menacing 8-inch emerald blade resembling my sister's lance point adorned at their ends. Cracking my neck, I test the weight of the swords, feeling that **Ventus Abyss** was no longer possible in this form. Locking my eyes onto the monster I take a step forward, somehow causing even the brainless creature to recoil. Smirking, I let out a laugh, reveling in the fact that the thing I feared was now afraid of me.

"Alright bastard, time to play. While I wanna explore my power a bit here, I can't let this drag on. Chika's in trouble, so I'll make your demise quick and painless. Be a good little flower and drop your petal as well, no use going to all this trouble not to complete my quest."

At that moment I dashed forward, longswords pointed behind me and wire blades aiming straight forward. In an instant, I will see how much power this unknown sacrifice has bought me.

* * *

 **We will see how strong this HDX form is next time. Little does Cros know, a new challenger awaits in the wings, waiting for her cue to come on stage. Who is this person? Guess you will have to come back to find out.**

 **As always thank you all for reading, and I'll hopefully catch you all again next time.**


	12. Chapter 12: A Chance Meeting

_This won't end up like last time._

I cover the distance in no time. With a snap of my wrist, the tip of my right blade was aimed directly for the monster's head. All the fear and anxiety I had from witnessing Chika get struck down was gone now, only stone cold calm remained. Part of my mind told me I needed to worry more about getting her to safety, and that this couldn't take too long else she really gets in trouble. That part was quickly silenced by my heart wanting to enjoy this fight. My earlier words of wanting to make this quick and painless forgotten, I aimed to toy with this thing. There was a slight headache beginning to pound at my temples, but the pain was something I dismissed for the time being. As the tip of my sword flew towards my foe I felt an uneasy feeling, and the circuits on the Moulin Rouge sprung to life. It jumped back and to the side enough that I couldn't recover with my sword enough to hit, but even so a smile crept to my face. From its blind spot, 3 wire spears ripped into the plant. Using another 3, I puncture the stalk more, this time flinging it in the air. All 16 points aimed directly at this defenseless monster, and in sequence, all 16 hit their mark. I make sure not to throw any lethal blows, wanting to see how long it lasts before it tries to cry for help. I start laughing maniacally to the point even Chika would look at me in fear had she been conscious. That thought brought my reason back.

"Oh, Goddess… What am I doing?"

Refocusing on destroying this threat I send one point straight through the flower's bulb, sending it scattering into data. What was different was that this time, the data was red instead of blue, and the circuits seemed to crawl in the air after the body was destroyed. Seeing this occur made an uneasy feeling creep into my mind. _If that's what those types of monster's look like when killed, why were the Fenrir still there after that time?_

I shake my head to try and clear that thought, taking note how floating from the sky was not 1, but 3 item boxes. Seeing the abundance of petals now I gave a chuckle, one that was full of my true self, not that other side that took over in battle. I leap into the air to collect them quickly and set them in my inventory, while also storing my weapons to free up my hands. For protection heading back to the city, I left 4 wires still out, this way even while carrying Chika I can still fight. Walking back over to her I noticed that she hasn't moved from the spot she landed after taking the blast, but the smoking has subsided and I could tell she was at least still breathing. I thanked the True Goddess a thousand times over for that and bent over to hold her princess style. Had she woken up then she would have first thought I was Vert in a daze finally accepting her advances, and then grow super embarrassed as she most likely have tried to kiss me, only to see someone who vaguely resembles her "little sister" stifling laughter.

However, this sadly never happened. When she was secured in my arms, her own hung downwards limp. The only sound coming from her mouth was shallow breathing and pained moans. Seeing this made me think of how I must have looked while in my coma. For my own heart, but most importantly my sister's still fragile one, please don't follow in my footsteps Chika. I shift my arms to pull her close enough to give a kiss on the forehead, then reset her position to get ready to run. While still in this HDX form, my movement speed has increased exponentially at the cost of losing my wings. Within no time Leanbox came into view. Slowing from my dead sprint into a walk, I start to notice how weak my legs are becoming. My vision started to get blurry a while back, but would always clear back up in a few moments. I jogged through the side streets to avoid being spotted, if anyone saw the Oracle in such a sorry state with someone that only barely looks like their CPU Candidate our Shares would take a huge hit.

* * *

When I arrived at the Basilicom with my partner still out cold, I made sure to jump over the walls to avoid running into anyone at the entrance. I went to the back of the building before clearing the towering stone to land in the garden. Luckily, repairs on my damage haven't been started, so I used the hole I blasted through the wall to sneak back into our home without Vert knowing. I slink into our Oracle's room and set Chika down on her bed. I made a quick call to the nurse on staff to come check her out, saying that after getting back from our quest she passed out. Looking over her injured body it was no surprise that some pain began to grow in my chest. I broke my transformation then, but the simple act of doing that seemed to steal all my energy as I needed to hang onto her canopy bed's railings to keep myself up. I brush a flyaway hair that was covering her face and bent over to kiss her forehead once again.

I try to walk out proudly for fighting my fear and completing a quest mainly on my own after being out for a while, but that quickly turned into a stumble and nearly falling on my face in the hall because of my lack of strength. Leaning on the wall, I let out a long sigh. My eyes dropped to the floor and I almost fell asleep right there, had it not been for a certain sister clearing her throat at the end of the hallway and giving me a dry look. Her eyes seemed to drill deep into me, and her posture was that of a stern disciplinarian. I bite my lip knowing that this lecture wasn't going to be an easy one.

"Now what do you think you are doing young lady? Imagine my surprise when I hear reports of a suspicious person running around town with my Oracle of all people and sneaking her way into my home. And on top of that, a certain sister of mine somehow gets into the building without my knowing while I've been in the office working my butt off while monitoring the screens waiting for you 2 to come home. I don't know what happened on this quest of yours, but you are going to be giving me answers Cros, and I won't let you go until you _fully_ explain what the situation is."

I winced at her scolding, but was not surprised. She had spies all over the place, but even I didn't think they would be able to find me the way I was sneaking around. I braced myself to spill everything but as soon as I open my mouth to start speaking to save my butt, a blast of exhaustion hits me, nearly causing me to fall forward, had it not been for the wall and Vert. Looking up at my sister with a darling smile I make light of the situation before taking a nap.

"Well, it's been awhile since you've held me like this sis. Kinda missed it to be honest. While I want to tell you all about what happened, I kinda over did it being a badass main character protecting my party from the evil dungeon boss. I'm super tired so I'm just gonna nap for a bit, or forever."

In true main character fashion, I fall asleep after saying that line, causing overprotective big sis to start shaking me to try and wake me up. The snoring that followed proved to her that I was, in fact, just asleep and not in another coma, so the feeling of being picked up by my big sister sent my consciousness into dream land. I missed this feeling…

* * *

My lovely sleep was interrupted by a raking nightmare that forced me to sit up in bed. I must have been experiencing it for a while before waking up since my sheets were strewn about and my body was covered in sweat. Somehow undisturbed, Vert was sitting next to the bed on a chair, laying her head on her arms and was out cold. A bit of drool was coming out of her mouth as she slept, so I grabbed a tissue from the nightstand to clean it up. Apparently she wasn't very asleep because touching her face caused her to jump and let out a large yawn. Letting myself laugh like a girl for once, I put my hand to my mouth to hide some of my beaming smile of seeing her in a way I know no one else besides Chika can see. I place that hand on top of her head to help smooth out her wild bed head and just continue to enjoy a time that I haven't had in forever, just spending time with my big sister.

"Good morning sleepy head. Ya know, you didn't have to sleep next to me the whole night Vert, I wasn't gonna not wake up this time. And sheesh you get bad bed head in the morning."

After a few moments of me patting my older sister's head, another role reversal for us, she grabs my hand and pulls me in for a hug. Normally I would squirm and try to break free of the squishy prison that is her arms pulling me towards her chest, but since I've longed for this for so long I let it slide. I return the hug and what seems like forever goes by as we just held each other in the sunlight, all the words unsaid that we wanted to tell each other after so long expressed in this simple action. A cough at the door causes us to look up but not letting go of our embrace.

"My, my Cros, trying to steal a march on my darling Vert are we?"

"I don't know Chika, seems like I'm winning this battle. Vert clearly wants me more right now."

Her sarcastic remark was met with one of my own, and her composure breaks as she starts laughing up a fit. She walks over to the bed and ruffles my hair, summoning displeasure and glares from me. Pulling away from Vert, I put my hands on my hips while trying to look as huffy as possible without laughing. Her own laughter made me peeved leading me to glare at her once again.

"Hard to take you seriously there sis when you aren't wearing anything!"

Looking down, I confirm that I indeed am not wearing a shirt. While my face is bathed in fire I glare over at my still sleepy eyed sister who is just sitting there watching this happen. She looks over me completely blankly as she struggles to remain conscious during the scene that is unfolding.

"Well Cros, your clothes were filthy when I took you to bed. I just" *yawn* "didn't want you to sleep in those. Then I just forgot to put something else on you before falling asleep myself."

I leapt off the bed and stomped over to my dresser to clothe myself, still slightly miffed that this happened and ruined the beautiful moment us sisters were having. Giving them one last baleful look, I storm out of my room and head into town. In my hurry home I never stopped by the guild and turned in my quest. Throwing up and catching my bag of Red Petals for the quest I stroll easily through the crisp morning air. It was early enough that the streets were mostly empty, and some shops were only just waking up and opening their doors. What few people smile and give me cheerful greetings, something that can only make me smile and return it with just as much enthusiasm. Feeling annoyed leaving the Basilicom, I much prefer this happiness over anything in the world. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking when I ended up bumping into someone on the street, sending both us sprawled out on the ground.

"Hey there, watch where you ar-"

Rubbing my head, I begin to start chastising this person for running into me. I'm the CPU Candidate after all, I should get some respect! But my voice catches in my throat when I see who it is. I never met this woman before, but for whatever reason my heart starts going crazy, and my cheeks seem to heat up a bit. What makes matters worse is she starts apologizing to me!

"Oh I'm so sorry. I was just at the Guild turning in a quest, and they wanted me to head to the Basilicom to check with the CPU Candidate on the status of her quest. I was smelling this delicious smell from the bakery over there and lost track of where I was going."

Bowing at me she gets up and starts running the way I was just coming from. Stunned, I didn't have the ability to even tell her she was looking for me. I cursed myself for not getting her name, for reasons I'm not even sure of. At least I got a good look at her before she sprinted off. She had tanned skin with multiple white markings down her arms, on her waist and on her cheeks. Speaking of her waist, she wore a cut off white vest with lime markings and gold buttons over a black undershirt. Her shorts only came down about a third of her thighs matching the colors of her vest. Strangely she had 2 black detached sleeves on her arms, with red bands around the elbows and her boots had an accentuated ankle but followed the same color scheme as the rest of her clothes. She wore oversized white gloves that went up to the middle of her forearm and had a gold hexagonal band around the wrist. It looked like the bright green on the ends on her arms had a paw print or similar design in a more muted green tone.

The most striking features however, where her hat and something else. She had a large black hat on that had flaps covering her ears, with messy blonde hair about the same length mine was when I was born poking out from underneath. Strapped to it were a pair of orange framed goggles, and the lenses were an emerald color that matched her eyes. The flaps were lined with white fur, with white accent lines right above them to match the white bill. The unusual part about it was that it was shaped to have 2 wolf ears on the top, white fur adding to the illusion that they were real. To go with this, she had a black and white tail, where the former was on top of the latter, strapped to the belt behind her. As she ran off I couldn't help but just watch still on the ground. I start hearing the women around me making strange comments and start laughing all innocently at me, making me blush even more.

"That's it, after turning in this quest I'm giving that girl a piece of my mind."

These were my words, but my heart just couldn't wait to see her again for some reason.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! I figured that since a few "concerns" for lack of a better word at the moment have been raised about the pacing and what has been happening in the story up until now, I thought I'd take the time to clear the air a bit.**

 **For starters, the whole "spoiling" that there was a "new challenger approaching" was something I felt like I needed to do. Saying someone was watching the battle in the forest that not even Cros could see would've forced me to break my 1st person point of view, something I want to try to avoid if possible as that's how this tale is being told. I know it could've been seen as a misstep on my part, but I personally feel like it would've looked strange having a random 3rd person line in the middle of the scene.**

 **Second, the pacing, and more specifically Cros's acquisition of HDX. This form will become a major part of the story later on, so its something we need to see Cros grow with for a bit before its ready to have the truth revealed. She only just gained it and is no where near good enough utilizing its power just yet. I promise there is some method to my madness when it comes to getting this and the Fenrir incident out so fast.**

 **And probably my last one for today, lack of characters. I wanted Cros to prove herself as capable of fighting on her own before I felt comfortable with getting more outside influences on her. As you see here, that time has come to start branching out. I won't say much more but this is a Neptunia fan fiction, it would be impossible to not have a ton of characters by the end. Cros is the main character after all.**

 **Hopefully this helped ease some worries or give you a look into how my crazy mind works. It may be my first work, but I don't plan to make it sloppy without reason at points. Again thank you for all your continued support and if you have any other questions, drop a review or send me a PM. I would be more than happy to clear something up without revealing too much of the story. Hope to see you all again next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: Start of a Journey

"Alright Cros, deep breaths. Just gotta turn this quest in."

It wasn't very long after I picked myself off the ground that I absentmindedly forgot exactly what I was doing. For whatever reason, seeing that girl made me completely lose track of what was going on, and everyone around me kept making comments that were followed with little coos and snickers. The mixture of embarrassment, annoyance, and whatever this weird feeling she gave me made it hard to think straight. Shaking my head, I open my quest log to try and reorient myself, remembering that I was heading to the Guild to turn in these Petals. Recovering from my flustered moment, I start jogging in the direction of my destination. The rumors apparently are spreading, because even people I haven't run into yet today have heard about my run in with that cosplay girl. I tried to hide my embarrassment, but the fire burning on my cheeks refused to go away.

No sooner did I walk into the Guild door did I finally let out a sigh for finally getting some peace. It was like a detached world inside the hall, with no one paying me any mind for the events that happened moments before. I walk up to the main desk and open my Quest Scroll, and select the one I finished yesterday with Chika. Handing the woman at the desk the bag of Red Petals, I receive some much needed credits, a couple healing items, and an Eject Button. Looking at the peculiar black box with a red button, I question first why I would need this, and more importantly, how does a button make me leave a dungeon in the first place?

Putting the strange item into my inventory, I put my hands in my pockets and walk over to the Quest Board. There weren't any new ones for around Leanbox so I skimmed ones that were for farther away, wishing that Vert would just give me the go ahead to explore the world without her worrying about me every second. Biting my lip, I turn away from the board and make my way back outside, praying that no one was still talking about that incident. Luckily, the streets were flooded with shoppers, travelers, and patrolling guards that no one saw me. Armed with some more pocket change, I hit up the nearest shops to see if there wasn't anything interesting. Walking past a bakery, I noticed there was a sale on desserts, most notably cinnamon buns. Even if Chika made the best, sometimes having some whenever you wanted was just as good as the flaky deliciousness that was homemade, so I may have walked in and spent half my money on a big box of them for the 3 of us. As I was walking back to the Basilicom, a strange idea popped into my head that made me shake my head and clap my cheeks to get rid of the blushing that it brought me.

 _I wonder if that cosplay girl is going to be there, I still wanted to talk to her…_

Chalking it up to wanting to just tell her my mind, I made sure that I was good and prepared to blow my top at her. At this point I can't remember what it was I was mad about, because she did apologize for bumping into me but she never let me get a word in. Sighing for seemingly the hundredth time today I reach the front gate. The guards seemed to be lazy today because they were off playing poker in the guard house in the corner, something I usually break up to keep some kind of order in the place. Something, or more rather, someone else was on my mind at the moment however, so I ignored it for today. Walking in the lobby I head right to the elevator and take it up to our living floor. Looking at the ceiling I try to collect my thoughts, only the sound of the mechanisms running the elevator to keep me company. As it reached our floor, I start smelling something completely unlike I usually smell. As the doors open I get assaulted by a scent that is both nutty and sweet, almost like someone was baking.

"Chika must have gotten bored again and started finding new stuff to make. Looks like these cinnamon buns will end up being all mine I guess, not that I mind."

I give myself a devilish grin thinking of the thought this entire box of a dozen cinnamon buns would be solely my property. Walking into the kitchen I notice Chika, as expected, at the counter mixing stuff together. The oven was on and it seemed like some sort of muffin was in their baking. Vert was sitting at the table, seemingly talking to someone but I couldn't see this person, and her voice was not one I was familiar with. Seeing as no one noticed me come in, I figured I'd play a joke on my darling sister. Completely ignoring her guest, I snuck up behind Vert, and covered her eyes with my hands, startling her at the sudden contact.

"My heavens, Chika why are you doing this to me while I have company?"

"Nice try there sis, it isn't Chik-"

Before I could finish my sentence I looked at who it was my sister was talking to. Sitting across the table was a certain tanned cosplay girl. My jaw dropped for two reasons. Firstly, this person who I needed to give a piece of my mind to was here chatting up my sister like they were best friends or something! The second was that for some reason I couldn't take my eyes off her once I saw her, like she cast some kind of spell over me that shut out everything else.

Her face was in about the same kind of expression mine was in at the current moment. Most likely because the person she was sent to bring to the Guild, the CPU Candidate of Leanbox, was the exact same person who she bumped into and slightly blew off earlier that day.

* * *

I took my hands off of Vert's eyes and turned to head back into the kitchen. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but something inside me felt like I needed to put distance between me and that girl or something was going to happen. Of course, my _lovely_ sister had other plans for me, and grabbed my hand as I tried to make my way away from the table. As much as I tried, I couldn't get her arm to lose its iron grip, and reluctantly turned back around to take a spot next to where she was sitting. I crossed my arms to try and look as uninterested as possible, but the blush on my face wouldn't go away and my heart wouldn't shut itself up when I saw her.

"Now Cros, I think I raised you to be a little less rude since you were born. That is not how you act around guests, especially old friends of mine."

 _So they were old friends, great. Now there's no way I can get away without learning about her._

"Let me introduce you to her. Cros, this is an old traveling companion back when us CPUs had to fight the Deity of Sin and her lackeys. Her name is Cyberconnect2, but you may have heard me refer to her as CC2 before. She's actually here on a mission from the Guild to find you, so I had her stay for a chat while we waited for you to return."

Cyberconnect2. For some reason finally knowing her name brought some sort of joy to my heart, but I couldn't let that show. She was a complete stranger and I didn't know until today. Why is it Vert's friends come out of nowhere to cause me problems? But, in all honesty, it sounds like something my sister's friends would do after all.

"And CC2, this is my darling little sister. The CPU Candidate of Leanbox and only person Chika lets near me aside from herself, Cros."

"Oh Vert, I think I have already met her, surprisingly enough. Funny thing is, when I was rushing over here to get Cros, I ended up knocking her over in the street without realizing who it was. I hope you aren't still mad about earlier Cros…"

She looked even more apologetic now than she did then. Probably the revelation of who I am caused her to feel even more guilty than before, and the look on her face killed any anger I may have had. The weird feelings raging inside me almost made it seem like my heart was breaking seeing her in such a state. I'm not sure which was more annoying, the fact that I can't figure out what this is or where its coming from, or if it is that I can't make up an excuse to be anywhere else, forcing me to be stuck in this situation.

"Oh don't worry about it… I got over it pretty quickly, but the people talking made it hard to forget it. But you know Cyberconnect2, next time you bump into someone, let them speak before you run off. This whole mess could've been cleared up right there instead of waiting until I got home. I guess what's done is done now though, and it probably wasn't all bad, since I got to see you aga-"

I completely lost track of what I was saying and let something outrageous slip out. I tried to stop what I was saying but enough was said to make even her blush and have an awkward smile spread on her face. I'll admit, she looked better with the smile than she did while depressed, but why am I thinking this way? What is going on with me today? Looking away for a moment I try to find anywhere else to look, but the devilish look Vert was giving me pulled my eyes towards her and into a confused expression. She was up to something, but what it was I couldn't begin to think. What she said next for some reason made my heart jump and caused a smile to unconsciously to spread across my face.

"Well CC2, I was just thinking that Cros has kind of grown too big for quests around home, so she was going to start exploring other nations for a bit and see the world Leanbox will one day own for itself. Truth be told, I would worry if she was alone the entire time, until she got to one of the other nations and ran into our old party, so would you be a dear and accompany her while she travels? As a CPU I will make sure you are paid appropriately for your work."

While trying to sound as mad as possible with a gigantic smile, I try to object, but the idea of traveling with Cyberconnect2 sounded incredibly pleasant for some reason. My heart began to soar even higher when I saw her perk right up and flash the biggest smile I've seen on anyone at the idea.

"Vert, I would be honored! I'll make sure this little lady doesn't get into too much trouble, and that no harm comes to her pretty little head of hers. Only payment I ask is that you log back onto 4 Goddesses Online every once in a while again so we can pit our guilds against each other for old time's sake. Oh, looks like she's taking a liking to the idea of traveling, she looks absolutely giddy right now!"

They both look at me, causing me to take a step back. Looking away to hide the fact the smile won't just go away, my eyes meet Chika's giving me a sly look that makes me scare to figure out what she's thinking. I let out a sigh to center myself and say something that takes everyone back a bit, but saves me from some embarrassment. It was so hard to be cool and collected when I heard the phrase, "her pretty little head!"

"Well this is only because Vert finally recognizes me as strong enough to leave Leanbox. Truthfully I don't need anyone to come with me, but as you know Gamindustri better than I do I guess I could use a guide. Just don't get in the way and leave the fighting to me. Wouldn't wanna get your cosplay dirty now would ya?"

 _Great, I sound so damn tsun now and the author is probably gonna make everyone either hate or fall for me now. Damn obvious tropes._

The last line I said caught Cyberconnect2 off guard. Apparently her choice of outfit must have been a sore subject because she just looked absolutely shocked I said something about it. Vert just looked at me with a displeased "oh honey why did you say that" look. Our guest stands up and asks where the restroom is, and walks off without looking up in that direction. Hearing sighing in stereo, I look to see both Chika and Vert coming over and feel the weight of both their arms around my shoulders.

"Cros, that comment was out of line. She may not look it but she's incredibly proud of her outfit. She says everyone from Fukoka makes their own animalistic outfits, and she chose a canine because she sees them as ferocious fighters. CC2 is an excellent combatant, and you could learn a lot from her dagger skills. I think you should go apologize."

"Vert's right you know. You are gonna be traveling with her for a while, and meet everyone from when we traveled together. No one outside of Leanbox and Histy knows you, so having someone they are familiar with will break down the walls. Besides, we both saw how you reacted to her, so lay off the tsundere act and be honest with yourself. I know well enough the sight of someone who's smitten."

* * *

That last statement caught me off guard. How in the world would I be smitten with Cyberconnect2? I only just met her, and how can I know what love is anyway? The only other people I know are Vert, Chika and Histy! Yeah I have affection for my sisters, because we are family, and I owe Histy my life but that isn't love. Why am I feeling so uptight about this subject? Why is everything becoming so confusing?

"Well I don't know about that Chika; how can I be s-s-smitten with someone I only met? This isn't some crappy romance novel where the main heroine falls for the first person she sees and they live happily ever after. This story isn't even tagged as romance so how is that possible? I'll give you both credit for the training and ice breaking points, but that last one is so far off the mark it's not even funny. I'll go apologize so I can get out of here as soon as I can. I need to go to Planeptune to thank Histy properly, and gotta see Nepgear anyway like you promised."

 _Smooth…_

The mention of the promise Vert made to Histy about us coming to Planeptune to visit made her take a step back and give the universal sign of doing something stupid, the facepalm. My genius sister obviously forgot about it, which gave me enough respite to get out of this situation. Slipping out from Chika's hold, I grab two cinnamon buns from the box on the counter and dodge another grab to head down the hall. I munched on one, letting the sugary sweetness calm my nerves. I walk over to the bathroom and knock on the door, but no answer came and the door sung open a little, as if someone was in it but didn't close the door all the way after leaving. I walk down the hall farther to see one of the empty "storage room" doors open slightly, and pause right before knocking to see if anyone was in there.

Through the crack that the door was opened, I heard a soft voice and a whimper. I couldn't make out the words but the voice sounded sad, and like tears were involved somehow in the speech. I slowly open the door wider to try and stick my head into hear without making noise, and see the figure of Cyberconnect2 curled into a ball in the corner. Apparently what I said hit her hard, though I did use a bit too much sting than I originally planned. Feeling terrible I look down at the cinnamon bun in my hand for her, slightly warmed by my body heat enough that the glaze was sticking to my skin.

 _This is totally not enough to fix my screw up. But what else can I do?_

I slide into the room without disturbing her. The last thing I need to do is mess up another time and ruin any chance I have of making it up to her. Everything Chika said was gone from my mind, nothing like that would help at this time. All that mattered was getting Cyberconnect2 to feel better, even if I gotta make myself look like an idiot. I was the idiot that caused this to happen in the first place. Without her noticing my presence, I start to get closer, but even then she doesn't let her voice be heard. All that escapes are whimpers of someone who was hurt for no reason, and wasn't even given a chance.

Without thinking I put the pastry in my hand somewhere in the dark room, and throw my arms around the hurting girl. At first she is surprised by the sudden action, but as she felt my hug grow tighter she nuzzled in and just let out her emotions. That moment seemed to go on for a while, just someone I didn't give enough kindness to when we met and an idiot who couldn't think past whatever was going on in her head. When she was finished crying, she sat up and looked directly at me. Thankfully our eyes adjusted to the darkness where we could see each other enough and I could tell she was smiling.

"We started off on the wrong foot didn't we? I say we start over and be friends if we are gonna be traveling for a bit together. I'm Cyberconnect2, hailing from Fukoka. You can just call me CC2 or Cybercon for short though. Sorry if I offended you at all with how I talked down about you like you were a kid still. When we were talking before you came back Vert told me about a few things that happened, and I know that a child couldn't handle that and be as strong as you are right now."

She extended her hand out for a shake. This is when Chika's words came back into my head and I was thanking everything that the darkness hid my blushing. I don't care what this is that is going on, but right now, friendship is all that matters. I grabbed the hand offered to me and gave it a proper shake.

"Nice to be traveling with you Cybercon. I'm Cros, CPU Candidate for Leanbox. Sorry if I made you upset with how I spoke and what I said. I didn't know about your traditions and assumed wrongly. I also made myself out to sound like a complete ass, which is not how I usually am honestly. I may not be as strong as my sister yet, but I plan to surpass her one day, and I hope traveling with you will help with that. Vert told me you use daggers as well, hopefully I can learn a thing or two from you."

With that handshake it was almost like our destinies were linked. A friendship we didn't have before was formed, and with that will be the first step for our adventures outside of Leanbox.

"So Cybercon, first stop is Planeptune. Should we hit up the Guild here before going or just wait until we get there?"

"We should get the quests first, that way we can train on the way. Gonna be a bit on the boat to get to the main land, which is closer to Lastation actually if you wanted to go there first."

"No I need to see Histy first. I need to thank her for saving my life. We can just send word to Noire that we are going to be in Planeptune and she can bring her sister there. I can't quite explain it, but I feel like this adventure is going to be something amazing for us."

* * *

 **Longest chapter yet, and most likely I will be making them longer as we get into the main meat of the story. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, pop down a comment or send me a PM. I may not respond to each one but I do read every one. Thank you all for continuing to support this random endeavor of mine, and hope to see you all again next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Ocean March

I gripped onto the railing of the boat with all my might, the effort turning my knuckles pure white as I tried my best not to lose my footing on the tossing wood. Every wave the ship cut through sent a new ripple of motion under my feet, further exasperating my stomach's issues with the trip. We planned to do some training on the deck, where now Cybercon was happily slashing the air to keep herself limber, but the uneasiness I was feeling made it impossible for me to even move. Head over the railing, I just tried to make sure I wasn't going to be sick. Watching my companion jump around and move more than I would like to didn't help matters at all, so to calm myself I thought back to how this all started…

* * *

After we shook hands, I helped Cybercon back to the kitchen. I made sure to find wherever the cinnamon bun was that I put down to throw away, the glaze a mess from where my hand held it for so long and the stickiness collecting dirt from the ground. As I joke I still offer it to her, but she just laughs it off and thanks me for the thought. The walk back to where my sisters were seemed to take no time at all, but something inside me was wishing it took a bit longer, which was a crazy notion considering it took not even 20 seconds to walk back. I guess Vert and Chika heard us coming before we got into the room because they both were standing there giving me a look. Blushing I just glare at them, causing Cybercon to just look between us with a confused face.

"I don't know what's on, but it looks like you 3 have to talk a bit. Cros, since we are gonna be leaving tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to go get some supplies for the trip. I probably should also make sure we have a pass for the ferry ride to the mainland. Oh, probably should've told you that we were taking the boat beforehand, so hopefully you don't get seasick."

She winks at me after the last line which catches me off guard, something that my sisters easily pick up on and make noises about. I try to glare once again, but the fire on my cheeks makes it hard to be taken seriously. As she made her way towards the door, Vert made sure to get out that she could stay here for the night so she didn't have to pay for a hotel, making careful measure to look at me for my reaction hearing that. After hearing that she would be staying here though, I couldn't help but get a shy smile on my face. Something about being near her seemed to raise my spirits, and made me excited for the trip.

"Well now that we know CC2 would be staying with us, do you want to sleep with your big sister or her tonight?"

Chika's question came out of nowhere so innocently that I would have choked had I been drinking. The fact she even had to ask something like that was outrageous, why would I w-w-w-wanna sleep with C-c-c-cybercon? And why am I getting so nervous and jumpy about it? I mean, isn't it normal for friends to do that sort of thing? To avoid letting my nervous voice be heard, I answer by walking over and grabbing a hold of Vert's arm like a small child, something she deeply appreciated as well.

"Well, I guess that's your answer Chika. I'll have Cros stay with me in my room, and then CC2 can sleep in Cros's. But my cute little sister has to know there is to be no sneaking into bed with her when I'm with you, I plan to keep you all to myself tonight if you are leaving for some time."

Before I could voice my complaints at that statement, Vert turned around and wrapped her arms around me. At first I struggled to get out of her grip, but after a few moments I felt her just pulling me tighter. Thinking over it, that last part of her sentence sounded almost sad. It dawned on me how much Vert was worried, that she wasn't sure if this was something she wanted to do, but had to do in order to preserve my happiness. Her hug was accented with the motions of crying as she silently sobbed with her head on top of mine. I know she's sad about me leaving, I would be in the same spot if I found out Vert was going to be leaving and not knowing when she would return, if at all. What I didn't realize until now though, is that up until now I've been always here with her, even if half the time it was unconscious, and now for who knows how long I may not even be able to contact her. Realizing that I would be so long without the sister I've grown to rely on and have gotten so used to seeing every day, as well as getting showered with affection from someone who only knew loneliness before I came into her life, I even began to feel sad. The little girl in me wanted to do nothing more but cry out and say that she didn't want to leave, but the adult me wanted to make Vert proud and come back stronger than ever before. While I couldn't see it through my own tears and my sister's body that was shaking with sobs, I could hear Chika crying to. We may not have started out close, with her thinking I was just there to steal Vert away, but since our fight we have never been separated.

After Vert finally let me go, I held onto her hand with all my might, to show her until my time had come I wasn't going to leave her side. The three of us walked to my room to help me pack and get ready for the trip, though after a while Chika had to reluctantly leave so the dinner for the four of us could be finished before Cybercon got back. I brought my large suitcase out into the living room so it was there for when we left, even if most of it was filled with clothes I wouldn't need anyway. The rest of the night was full of laughs as we all just talked over dinner, then played games until it got dark out. Vert insisted we stay up later, but the only time Cybercon could get us on the ferry for was early enough that I would need as much sleep as possible.

I got changed in the bathroom after a quick shower, and walked into Vert's room to head to bed. I climb in and throw the covers over my head, letting the warmth flow over me and fill me with the feelings of love from my sister being here every night. I was just at the edge of sleep when I felt the covers pulled down some and felt weight shift around on the mattress. Turning over so I was on my side and facing the new arrival, I watched as Vert slid in and laid with her back to me. I could tell something was bothering her but this was a time where she didn't want to be the first to speak. I reached my hand out and covered her eyes as a joke once again. _Why am I such a terrible person when it comes to these situations?_ They were slick with tears, and I could feel more falling as my hand slid over, and what surprised me was she reached up and moved my hand over her heart, a movement that caused me to flop onto my stomach. Pulling myself back to my side, I was scooched closer to her where I could rest my forehead on her back. For a few minutes we stayed like that, no words needing to be said to know exactly how the other felt. Deep down, neither of us wanted to be apart from the other, but we both knew that this parting was necessary. Being the klutz I am, my sudden comment only caused the silence to turn into pure laughter with the moment ruined.

"Sis, I don't think most siblings who share a bed immediately go for the kinky stuff, and I don't think I'm ready to take responsibility for it."

Still holding my hand close to her, Vert rolled over to face me, her face covered in salt lines from tears that have long since fallen. She was crying the entire time I was in the shower until coming in here, and knowing that I was the one who brought those tears out hurt inside. I got closer to her to rest my head on her chest and just laid there as she wrapped me up in her arms. The grip she was giving me I could tell was one that wouldn't let go until morning, and even then would still fight to keep me there.

"I don't want you to go Cros. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let you leave Leanbox without me by your side. I would go everywhere with you and show you the world. But…that is too selfish of me… Having you in my life this past month has been the greatest time of my life, and knowing that you will be gone for who knows how long makes it feel like I'm going to be alone forever again… But this is something that would be terrible for you to miss. You need to see the world and spend some time finding yourself without me holding onto you every possible second. A chance like this doesn't come often. Just please promise me you will be safe, okay? I trust CC2 with my life, but there's no one who I would trust with yours but me. Tomorrow morning, I will go out with you to the Guild to get everything in order to leave, and we will stop by the store to get you a phone. I'll make sure my number is in it for you, and that you always have a picture of us together so you never have to feel lonely or homesick. Call me whenever, not just for important things, but to talk to me. It would scare me too much to not hear from you…"

I stop her there with a shake of my head. I could tell where she was going to go with that sentence, and I didn't want her to hurt herself more thinking that way. A smile grew on my face as I knew exactly what to say to her.

"As a little sister, it's my job to protect your happiness Vert. If that happiness ends up being me, well, then I guess my hands are tied. I'll be back after exploring the world, and when I do you better be willing to do the same with me afterwards. I may be a bit of a klutz with my words, and I may not think everything through all the way, but I'm smarter than I look. I'll call you at least every other day, but don't get worried if you don't hear from me for a bit. We don't know where will get service and I may be on a quest where I won't be able to talk. But I will call Vert. And don't you dare start saying things like 'I'm going to be alone forever again', because… because…."

Before I finish my sentence I start to break down. I tried to stay tough for her to show her I can handle myself, but I'm still a scared little girl inside. I don't have a clue how the world is outside of Leanbox, and all I've known will soon be a distant place over the horizon. I bury my face in her chest and let all my pent up emotions from today out. The waves of excitement, dread, worry and ecstasy washed over me, turning me into a mess of tears and loud sobs. They must have been loud enough to hear down the hall a bit, because while I was still letting loose on my sister, Chika crept behind me and wrapped her arms around me as well. She kissed the top of my head and held me close, her voice strained with sadness.

"You better call me too Cros. We may not be real sisters, but I need someone to gossip with and just talk to when Vert is busy. If we don't hear from you every so often I will take it as your express go ahead to steal her from you, and she won't even want to miss you with how much love I'm giving her. Wait, no, that is wrong of me. I can never replace you, nor do I want to. You are my best friend and I would do anything for you, so make sure you keep in touch. If anything bothers you, or you need help with anything, I'm here. Especially when it comes to CC2, I may only have experience in one-sided love, but I will give you all the advice I can. Just be honest with yourself and be careful. Home is always open for you if you need to come back early."

With her words said, Chika gave me some room, which I filled by laying on my back so I could address both of them.

"Vert… Chika… I'm going to miss you both so much. Part of me doesn't want to go, she just wants to stay here with her two amazing sisters and just soak up all the love you have to give. But the rest of me knows that I can't be a proper CPU Candidate unless I explore Gamindustri. Don't worry, I'll be such a good CPU Candidate that I'll rake in all the Shares for us, and Leanbox will top the charts in every nation! I'll save up money from every quest to get you guys souvenirs while I'm out, and I'll try to get lots of pictures to show you. I won't do anything too dangerous, I know that I need to make it back in one piece, and I won't let anything happen to Cybercon either. I don't know what is going on in my head just yet, but she's my friend so I need to do whatever I can to keep her safe, like she will for me. Don't wreck the city without me here to help clean up alright? I may be good at working, but I don't wanna have to play janitor to your guys' mess. Now come on, let's get to sleep. I got a big day tomorrow and I need to not fall asleep halfway through the trip"

* * *

Sliding down into a sitting position, I stop looking down into the waves and making myself sicker by the second. I pull out my phone to check the time, finding it impossible not to smile at the picture of the three of us looking like a perfect family for once. Cybercon was able to find the one moment none of us were crying and were actually composed enough to get a great picture. Holding the phone next to my heart, I felt my stomach settle a bit. The morning was crazy, with trying to find a good enough phone for the trip and collecting about 3 quests for the dungeons along the way. Vert also insisted on making sure we bought enough food to last us until Planeptune, even if we now had enough to go from Planeptune to Lowee now. Stretching I try to stand up, only to fall on my face for the hundredth time since stepping foot on this oversized piece of driftwood.

Rubbing my face, I struggle to get up, having to rely on the outstretched hand of Cybercon. Apparently during her training, she saw me having trouble, so she took a break to come over. She looked at me with a caring smile, one that showed she was worried about how I was feeling, but that simple act was one that sent my confusing feelings into overdrive. I tried not to look into her eyes, but the emerald color looking down at me was so inviting.

"Sorry about this there Cros. Didn't know you would get seasick on the ferry. I promise once we get to the mainland it's all dirt under our feet, so you won't have to worry too much longer. Here, have some bread. It may not be much but the starch will help you feel a bit better. Will help soak up some of whatever is turning around in you."

I grab the offered hunk of break and took a bite. It was a sourdough so the taste was slightly unpleasant to me, and the fact I was eating felt weird with an upset stomach, but since it was getting to midafternoon now I should eat at least something after breakfast. It wasn't immediate, but my stomach did actually start feeling better, and eventually I got used to the motions of the ship. It was about another couple hours until we got to the mainland so I asked Cybercon if she wanted to spar a bit to get me revved up for the next leg of the journey. After watching her for so long, something I would never admit to doing if anyone if they asked me, I felt like I stood a chance against the more experienced fighter. Her jovial tone in accepting the challenge threw me off for a bit, but I recovered and put on my serious face.

We squared off in the center of the deck. There were only a couple other passengers on here so they stood to the side and had their eyes glued on the show that was about to start. To make this fair, I only pulled out my daggers. For some reason, I didn't want her to know about my wires just yet, not until we get into a dangerous situation. Hers were a pair that fit her outfit, bright green jagged blades seemed to float fractions of an inch above the white handles. They almost looked like axes, but the knuckle guards floating between the pommel and the cross guard proved that wrong. Mine seemed to be basic compared to hers, but I could see the practicality in the design. She could deliver all the force into her blows, while the space between blade and spine gave a buffer to dissipate an impact. _Looks like I'll have my work cut out for me here._

She picked up her battle stance. At least from my eyes, there weren't many holes in it. She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, knees slightly bent to ease the transfer of motion. She held both daggers in a reversed grip, meaning she most likely did uppercuts and downward stabs as attacks, since enclosed guard handles made it hard to flip around. It was obvious who had more skill with dual daggers between us two, but Cybercon knows nothing of my fighting style, while I've been studying hers while she was practicing. I assumed my stance, wielding my daggers in opposite grips, weaker arm in reverse holding a guard. We circled around the open space, waiting to see who would make the first move. The way the experienced was stacked against me, I couldn't tell if she was going to wait for me to come to her, or if she was going to make the first drive.

Not wanting to be reactive during the fight, I rush forward. My plan was simple, feint to the left with my reverse grip to cause her to either block it or dodge, causing her to be open for a stab with that same dagger into a diagonal slash downward with the right. I would immediately spin the blade in my left hand around to slash the other diagonal, and then crossing with both along the same lines before backing off. After that, I would rush back in before she could recover with a flurry of slashes to push her off balance, and then sweep the leg to finish the duel. It was a foolproof plan that was bound to work…

Until it didn't… Where she was supposed to dodge or block, she instead stepped forward and locked up my arm. With my arm now across my body and my hand above my head to the side, I couldn't move my other arm to attack or defend. Keeping pressure on my arm, Cybercon drove into me, pushing my back out and forcing me off balance, which was then proceeded with a sweep to knock me on my ass. Giving me no room to breathe, she followed me down and mounted me, pinning my arms down with her knees. Now this situation was the craziest for my head yet, because it was jumping between two feelings at the moment. The first, the pain of having all the weight of this girl focused into 2 separate points on my arms, and the fear that came with being unable to move your body like you want to. The second was that feeling Chika kept messing with me about, having Cybercon on top of me like this and being at her mercy. My face must have been a mixture of pain, frustration, uncertainty and embarrassment because she started laughing and got off of me. She barely got the words out as she pulled me off the ground.

"That was a good try. Next time don't make your feints so obvious, I could tell you were going to do something aside from the forward swipe because of how your body was moving. Your muscles were straining to force the next motion to occur before it completed the first. If we keep training I will force you to move only when you need to, which just means I'll be spending a lot of time on top."

Accenting that joke with a wink I turned my back to her and crossed my arms to hide the scarlet growing. Slowly my mind is making up what I feel, and slowly the realization Chika may be right is dawning on me, but right now that isn't important. All that matters is staying safe, and if that means I gotta get knocked around by Cybercon a few times until I fight better, than so be it. I mean, it's not like I minded the contact, it was just weird that's all. I turn back around and give her a shy smile back to match the beaming one she's giving me. We will be spending every day for a long time together, so I will have plenty of time to figure out my feelings.

"I guess I have no choice but to take you up on your offer. Just don't go easy on me. I learn better when pushed to the edge, something Chika could tell you first hand. Last time I sparred her like this I…"

I trailed off as I remembered the day my weapons first came to life. It was a fond memory because it was the day we stopped being enemies and became sisters. I dropped my eyes and must have gained a saddened smile, because my companion stepped forward and hugged me.

"I know how hard it is on you, being away from everyone for the first time. Remember you can always call them whenever, that's why you have that phone. Don't think you need to stay with me either. I can fend for myself so I'll let you know where I'm heading if you gotta head back to Leanbox for a bit. If you are distracted being sad about not seeing Vert or Chika all the time you may hurt yourself, and that's something none of us want. Your heart is the most important tool you have, if its dulled by pain or loneliness the tool will malfunction. I'll do my best to help keep it running, so talk to me whenever you want. I would love to hear your stories of home."

Okay, maybe this wasn't the worst situation. As much as I would've loved to, I refrained from returning the hug. I knew if I did, things would just grow weird. Besides, after a couple seconds she let go of me and just shined a smile at me. I would be lying if I said I didn't give a shy smile back.

"Thanks Cybercon. I'll make sure to take you up on your offer."

The small crowd watching us started cheering and clapping for our performance, or maybe it was for us. Putting on my CPU Candidate persona, I smiled and waved at the few people standing there, and the attention seemed almost like home a bit. Looking back out at the horizon, I can barely make out the outline of the island. Soon I will be in a whole different world from what I am used to, and the uncertainty filled me with both fear and excitement. I held out my hand and looked at my bracelet once again. It was a simple silver chain band with dark emeralds around the surface. In the center of my wrist sat a charm that Vert specifically picked out for me. The symbol of Leanbox, an "X" where one of the lines was a lance. Home was always with me so long as I wore this, and the inscription my sister put in on the bottom of the charm filled me with strength whenever I read the words to myself.

 **Cast out the feelings of loneliness when on your own, for a sister's love will always find its way to you.**

"Damn it Vert. Even when I'm trying to be cool and show how awesome I am, you always have to be there hugging me from behind. Don't ever change…"

I turn my back to the ocean and look towards the front of the ship. Planeptune is within reach, and now I can almost feel the anticipation creeping up on me. Will Neptune and Nepgear like me? Will I be able to properly thank Histy? Will we get lost along the way? A more serious question occurred to me, causing me to grimace in anger. Will we run into more of those red circuit monsters?

The captain of the ferry yells over the horn, telling us we have about an hour left until we reach shore. I look towards Cybercon who is looking over her daggers while propped up against a wooden barrel. I summon mine and walk over to her. Just looking into her eyes my question was asked, not needing to be said, but I asked anyway to get her to jump off the barrel and meet me in the center of the deck again.

"So, wanna go another round?"


	15. Chapter 15: IF Time Could Tell

The dirt felt cold under my face as I laid there motionless. It wasn't long after out last training bout, which ended in the exact same way, that the boat hit some rougher waters, causing more turbulence and causing my stomach to go ballistic once again. The bread was fighting to come back up again, so I made sure to run to the edge of the boat so I didn't make a mess on the deck. When we hit land, I needed to lean on Cybercon to just get off the damned wooden death trap. The second we touched dirt with our feet my legs turned to jelly and I fell face first into the ground. All I could do was spread my arms out and hug my long lost friend, and apologize for ever leaving her in the first place. I've been like this for about ten minutes now.

"Maybe next time we should give serious consideration to flying before this happens again."

Squatting down, my companion patted my head as I stayed connected to my love, the earth. When everything finally calmed down, I slowly rolled back onto my shins and looked around at the area. Everything looked so foreign, yet similar at the same time. Being sheltered on an island made everything look so big, especially looking at the mountains jutting from the ground in the distance. I kind of just sat there taking everything in for a while before standing up. Stretching my stiff limbs, I start to walk towards the path in the road, only to be stopped by Cybercon wearing a concerned smile. I recoiled embarrassed when I saw I walked right passed a sign that says that direction was to head to Lastation.

Feeling dejected that I looked like a complete idiot in front of her, I followed my friend on a completely different path that led us through a dense forest. All around us, deep green flowed and flooded into view, somewhat reminding me of home. The wildlife however was a completely new experience for me, with gigantic turtles drinking water from a river or large bipedal cats walking around in packs playing. A pack of small wolf like creatures ran passed us, not bothering to look in our direction but instead at a lone horsebird that seemed lost. Every so often I see some new creature walking by, and I can't help but stare in awe at the sight until Cybercon snaps me out of my trance. Birds flew overhead giving the entire forest an air of tranquility. Small bugs droned on a noise that soon just became background sound effects for us, bringing an extra layer of calming to the scene.

Internally I can't help but laugh. To think that only a month has passed since I was brought to life in Leanbox. Not only that, I'm exploring a crazy world with someone who I can't exactly pinpoint my feelings for and get to experience a whole new life that I never could have stuck on that island. Don't get me wrong, I love Leanbox and all of my people, but I need to, both figuratively and literally, spread my wings and fly around sometimes. I laugh at my own joke in my head and come back to reality. Apparently Cybercon found or heard something because she was squatting low to the ground now, one dagger out and at the ready. I followed suit with my own and closed my eyes to listen to the wind. As the flows swirled around me, I picked up the sounds of a group of monsters, and they seemed to have found a victim of their own. What worried us was that this victim was clearly human, and her voice was screaming at them in anger tinged with fear.

"Cybercon, we have to help her. She's about 150 yards along this path and to the right, sounds like she's surrounded."

"How do you… Nevermind, I trust your words Cros, sometimes I forget you Leanbox natives have a high affinity with wind magic. Lead the way, I got your back"

Taking point, I slinked along the brush to where the girl was being attacked, completely forgetting to keep care of where I was moving to make things easier for Cybercon. Luckily, she was a nimble person who could easily get around behind me, so my worries were unwarranted on that front. In little time we traversed the distance and stopped behind a larger tree to get a look at the situation. From where we were, we saw a quartet of gigantic Dogoos, each one jockeying for position around their target. Their size and lack of coordination made it hard for them to attack, but whoever they were surrounding had no way out.

"Well this is a sticky situation isn't it. Cros, hang back a bit and let me soften them up. You come in and finish um off after I get the-"

* * *

I didn't let Cybercon finish. In fact, I wasn't listening to a word she was saying. I was too busy focused on the red markings on one of the slime blob's body, and seeing that flipped the switch for me to go into full on combat mode. I had to get rid of the regular ones first, that way whoever was stuck between them could get out. I threw my daggers out and lodged them into a couple trees on opposite ends of the area. While still rushing forward, I clapped my hands together and brought out my gloves and belt, fully prepared to not hold back against these to move on to the real threat.

" **Ventus Abyss!** "

I could assume Cybercon was just standing there in awe as my wires came out. I sent out all 16 on my hands and sent them off in a multitude of directions. The 3 normal ones went down quickly with my plan. Being made of slime, I knew direct hits wouldn't do much to the Dogoos, so instead I wound my wires around their bodies. Pulling and crossing the thin wires, I tore into their jelly and ripped them apart through constriction. With their size, I had to use half my wires for one of them, so the final one went down much faster with a full set ripping through it. The thinness of the wires only made them deadlier when you use them to apply tension to something. Thinking back to when I figured out this technique, I remembered being able to crush rocks with a full set wrapped around it, so something soft was simple for me to take care of now. The only issue now was that the wires were clearly visible now with slime coating where the tiny blades were contacting the now bursts of data. To clean them off I drew them back, leaving my gloves covered in the think blue slime. I bent down and wipes my hands off quickly before turning my attention to the variant that now has its eyes on me.

"Hey, while I have this thing's attention you better get out of here. This is stronger than the others so it's going to get a bit messier here. I won't be able to guarantee your safety if you stay. I'd rather not have to worry while going all out."

"Don't think I'm just some weakling who can't do anything! If this one is as strong as you say it is, after that display of taking out 3 others with no effort, you'll need the help. Besides, I couldn't face Nep the same way if I let some random person get hurt at the Lastation-Planeptune border."

The "victim" as we believed now stepped out and ran to my side. Behind her trailed almost woody brown colored hair that feel to the small of her back when she stopped moving. Along with that, a blue coat that seemed a bit too big for her petite frame. It was left open with silver accent lines running down the sleeves and along the edges of the coat, but had a tight brown fur along the bottom edge. Her sleeves about mid-triceps area had a red lightning bolt that ended at her elbow. Black bands were around the wrist areas with silver half spheres on the outside of each sleeve, matching the buttons along the edge of her coat. Her actual clothes shared that same color pattern; a solid black shirt with matching shorts that covered just enough, both with silver lines running down either side. In the middle of her _slightly lacking_ chest was a silver "i" and the black and silver belt around her waist sported a belt buckle that had the black letters "iF" embossed into the silver metal. Black socks came up to about the middle of her shin, and over those were blue boots that matched her coat. Her most unique feature was a green bow that tied up part of her hair into a side ponytail, taking the appearance of a pair of leaves.

Her green eyes focused on the Dogoo variant that I wanted to save her from, and in each hands were a pair of three-pointed blades. They consisted of a midsized blade in the center with two smaller blades jutting out from the handle, which was concealed within the sleeves of her oversized coat. They looked simple, but also incredibly lightweight to match her small frame. Looking at her, I could tell she was not stranger to combat, and when Cybercon ran up to my other side she confirmed my suspicions.

"No time for real introductions IF, we gotta take this thing down fast. Cros, if you say it will take you some time to beat, I definitely am not letting you go at it by yourself. Do you realize the path of destruction Vert would create on her way here if I let you get hurt?"

She was right. This wasn't something I could take on alone and expect the safety of my friend. "IF", as she went by, looked at me and gave me a surprised look, but it was quickly dismissed when the Dogoo shot off a tendril of slime and crashed it right where we were standing moments prior to leaping back. This clearly an attack that no regular Dogoo used, which brought a strangely wry smile to my face. At least this fight was going to be interesting if nothing else.

"Alright you two, keep him busy for a second. I wanna try my constriction again to see if it could possibly work before trying something different. I may have to ascend to take it down though."

They both answered with solid agreement, but this new girl's was more of a question than a full answer. She circled to the left while Cybercon took the right side, leaving me in the center to prepare my attack. They both slashed at the slime's enormous body, but the strange thing was that sparks flew off as their blades bounced off the surface. We all looked shocked at this sight, only to be interrupted by more slime tendrils being sent after us. It didn't matter where the pair of attackers went, the tendrils came out of anywhere on the creature's body, giving it both a near perfect defense and an exceptional offense. Frustrated that their attacks weren't landing at all, the two girls decided to see how their skills would fare against this living contradiction.

" **Twin Void Strike!** "

" **Demon Summon!** "

A flurry of blades and a blast of fire assaulted the monster, and for a moment it seemed to work, and when smoke cleared small gashes and burn marks covered either side. It wasn't much but it was clear damage. All while this was going on, I swirled my wires within the space around the Dogoo, creating an invisible net surrounding its massive form. The layers compounded upon each other, soon creating a millimeter-thick wall of wires that were spread out enough that they were still hidden from plain view.

"Alright, jump back now!"

At my command, both girls jumped out from their spots on either side of the creature and ran back to me. As they did this I twisted and contorted my hands to control the weaving of the wires. When the proper cutting shape was reached, I pulled my arms apart and sent the wires in at immense speeds. They created audible whines as they strained and contorted around the hard object, and I had to use quite a bit of magical energy to force them to stay connected and squeezing into the Dogoo. I could feel the wires were at their limit when I saw small cracks appear on the creature's body. I released the wires and pulled them back, and formulated a new strategy to end this quickly.

"Alright, it looks weakened a bit in spots now. Go back to the distractions on the sides, I'll prep the killing blow now. Access!"

As they ran off I activated my HDD form, which caught both off guard, but for different reasons. For Cybercon, she looked a bit flushed looking at me, something I will have to make sure I point out later for my amusement, as she hasn't seen this form yet, nor my closer resemblance to Green Heart in it. With IF though, it was shock and a bit of what looked like fear. From how well Cybercon knew her, they must've traveled together, which means she was with Vert for a while. We ran into each other and now she is seeing a green haired CPU that isn't my sister for the first time, anyone who was part of that group would be surprised. They both recovered as I sent my claws and other wires into their positions. My left hand wires wrapped around the tree behind the target, all the while the claws buried themselves into some of the tiny cracks in the Dogoo. With my right, I send the gems spinning, tearing up the earth below me. The four wires wrapping around the tree limited the movement of the monster to only forward and back, making a wind tunnel so to speak for me to strike in.

The attack I was about to use was one I have only just learned from leveling up a couple times getting here, a concept that confuses even me as the main character. _How do we know when we leveled up anyway?_ Refocusing back to the battle, I aimed my arm down the wind tunnel I created. The four wires that were spinning now wrapped around the four lines that attached me to the tree, and the wind energy they collected sparked into the center. Not even Vert knows about this attack, which I can tell based on the scale and power level, this isn't a standard skill. I remember her telling me about a special class of ultimate attacks called "EXE Drives", and then demonstrated hers, **Spiral Break**. The power was incredible, and I could tell this was on par with hers.

"EXE Drive set. Activate, **Maelstrom Assault!** "

I braced my legs as I unleashed my attack. The energy sparked down the wires and blast the Dogoo with green lightning multiple times, each time breaking more pieces off of the body. After that energy was spent, a total of 10 bolts blasting into the target, the wires detached from the frame of the tunnel, and began rotating within the space. A whirlwind formed in the center of the spiral, and a launching of my claws caused a fierce twister to roar down the path and break through the beast. I finished by retracting all my wires and miming a gun shot with my hand, using this as a focus to unleash a final burst of wind around the monster.

* * *

Red data flew everywhere and the red circuits snaked through the space where the monster once stood. Satisfied with my work, which ended up causing quite a bit of collateral damage to the woods in the form of a scar in the earth, I cancelled HDD and fell onto my back. Looking up at the sky I couldn't help but laugh and let out a cheer of excitement. This time I killed the bastard variant monster with my own power, not to mention with a bit of help from my friends. As I laid there, there must have been other creatures behind me because I saw two bodies fly over where I was and the sound of data scattering from a slain beast. Tilting my head up to look behind me, I saw Cybercon and IF give a quick high five before turning to me.

"Holy crap Cros that was awesome! I have to admit, your HDD was a bit surprising, but that made it quite clear you are Vert's sister! Here, let me help you up, and I think introductions are in order."

Walking over to me, she pulled me to my feet before wrapping her arm around my neck, probably a counter attack from when I went HDD, and lead me over to IF. While this was going on, she kept her blades at the ready, giving me a look of apprehension until I came close. Cybercon stood between us to the side, and put her other hand on IF's shoulder.

"Alright Cros, this is an old pal of mine as well as Vert's. I would like you to meet the Guild agent, IF, close personal friend to Neptune and Nepgear, as well as one of their most trusted party members. IF, this is Cro-"

Her introduction of me was cut short. Without warning, IF rushed me, knocking me off balance and sending her weapon flying at me. I could barely get my own daggers out and in the way of the metal before it came to pierce my shoulder. Looking up at her, my own confusion and anger was met with similar feelings as she tried to seriously injure if not kill me.

"Who the hell are you?! How is it possible that you can activate HDD like Nep and the others?! You better start talking or we will have quite the messy problem on our hands…"

"Get off of me you bitch! If you waited three seconds Cybercon would have told you. Get your damn blades away from me, unless you wanna end up like those Dogoos. Do you really think you should cross someone like me…?"

Shoving her off of me I brought my gloves back out and aimed my gems directly at her, causing her to jump back. We would've flew at each other ready to fight had Cybercon not jumped in between us and used her body to shield us. The fury in her eyes quickly killed any that we had, and we calmly dismissed our weapons. With a sigh, she continued where she left off.

"As I was saying IF… This is my companion and new best friend Cros. She hails from Leanbox. Not only is she Vert's new little sister, but she is also the CPU Candidate of the Land of Green Pastures. Pretty sure you can tell she isn't a pushover, so don't make her angry. Besides, if you try to do anything like that again IF, you will have me to answer to."

If I wasn't half scared from the sudden threat coming from the normally docile Cybercon, I might have swooned from her being so protective of me. I slowly walked forward with my hands up to show I meant no harm, and stopped right in front of this other girl. She was about my height, so I looked her dead in the eyes and tried to hold a serious face. This fails and I burst out laughing in front of this girl I only just met, making myself look like an idiot like always.

"Look, we got off on the wrong foot. I'm sure seeing a girl transform into a Green CPU that isn't my sister is a bit jarring, but I promise I'm the real deal. I mean no harm to Planeptune. I'm actually traveling Gamindustri at my sister's request with Cybercon here to learn a bit, and my first choice was to go there to thank Histy. She saved my life not too long ago and I need to pay her back. If you would be willing, let's start over. It's nice to meet you IF."

With a smile I stuck my hand out for a shake, one that IF took after careful thought. With that, my party has grown to three, and with her help we made it to the entrance of Jet Set Ridge, the dungeon connecting Lastation and Planeptune, letting us bypass the ocean crater where the Gamindustri Graveyard used to sit. Just the name sent shivers down my spine as sad images appeared in my head of Vert tied up for three years. To make sure that never happens again is the main purpose of this journey, to get strong enough to always protect Vert and stop anything like that from occurring. Clenching my fists, I release my stress with a sigh. Standing at the entrance to the dungeon, I send a quick picture of the three of us to Vert. Cybercon wrapped her arm around my waist, and with the other one held up the Victory sign. I had both my arms draped over IF and Cybercon with a giddy smile on my face, and IF flashed her own smile.

"And... sent. Hopefully Vert enjoys the picture, and I wish I could see the look on her face when she sees you with us IF."

"Oh, Lady Vert will be definitely surprised, I can guarantee you that. I find it funny I run into you first considering I was born in Leanbox, I live in Planeptune for work, and because I'm best friends with Nep and Gear. But my faith, embarrassingly enough, lies still with Leanbox and Vert, guess that puts you in that list."

With complete over acting, I give a dramatic bow and thank her for her continued support. With a playful punch to my arm we continue walking. My phone goes off and when I check it, it is a message from Vert. I read it to myself and couldn't help but to smile and miss my clingy big sis. It oozed sarcasm, love, and just enough sadness to know that she misses me.

"Cros, I love seeing that smile of yours so brightly. You seem to be enjoying yourself, and have come to terms with your heart slightly if I saw CC2's hand correctly. Don't give up! And I see you have run into Iffy too, she will be a great help for you, especially heading to Planeptune. I'll try to make it to see Neptune while you are there so I don't have to miss you too long. I love you sis, and know I am proud of everything you do. Don't let anything stop you, you are strong enough to break through anything! Call me when you get to the Basilicom!"

I hold my phone to my heart and let my mind wander back home. As the sun started its descent below the mountain line, we knew that if we didn't hurry we would be camping out. We picked up the pace to at least get into the dungeon before nightfall, and something Vert said kept playing over and over in my mind as we walked.

 _I guess I really have come to terms about how I feel. This is so new to me I have no idea what to do. Maybe I will call Chika later and see what she says. I just don't want to mess up what we have going right now…_

The night of our first day on the mainland came upon us as we sat around a campfire. A million thoughts ran through my mind, and anticipation for tomorrow began to set in until Cybercon reassured me about things.

"It's gonna be alright Cros. We are almost there. Now get some sleep, you will need your energy tomorrow."

My eyes shut and filled with visions of home as I dreamt of my happiness waiting back for me.


	16. Chapter 16: Emerald Rush of Ecstasy

"Well it is good to hear from you Cros. Be safe out there and remember that IF is a great fighter, you can learn a lot from her. Thank the True Goddess that your first two party members were who they are, because your fighting style fits well with theirs. I love you, and I already can't wait to hear from you again"

"I love you too Vert. I can already tell this is going to be quite the interesting journey with these two. Well I gotta get going, the others seem to be waking up. Talk to you later sis."

I hung up the phone as I saw my companions stirring from their slumber around the dead campfire. Being the height of the warm season, by IF's words, we didn't bother setting up tents and just laid out under stars. As the first rays of the sun poked over the mountains I rose from my slumber, and watched as my companions still were out like logs on the cool earth. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, I took the opportunity to call Vert and see if she was awake. To my surprise she was wide awake and hard at work, and we talked for quite a while as I recounted everything that happened up to this point. Of course, she couldn't go without making a jab about my now acknowledged feelings for Cybercon, but this time I let it slide. Hearing her voice was enough to make the day easy to get through.

The first one of the pair getting up was IF, and surprisingly she was a quick riser. To wake up all she had to do was splash some water on her face from a canteen slung on her belt. This was in stark contrast to Cybercon, who much like a dog, took a lazily approach to shaking off the slumber. Both of them stretched as I walked the short distance from where I was standing, and I helped pack up what few things we set out for camp before stomping out the remaining embers from the fire. Not many words were exchanged between the three of us, and not only for the reason being that we all weren't the best morning people.

During the night, it seemed that the monsters we cleared out of our immediate area while setting up camp respawned, and no one wanted to have to deal with extermination again so early. Staying quiet, we silently marched on through the dungeon, doing our best to avoid grabbing the attention of every monster in the place. Of course we couldn't avoid every single one, but a few quick slashes and stabs eliminated them without startling the others. It was only a couple hours after dawn that we found ourselves coming to the peak of the Jet Set Ridge, and from the height we could see the rest of the dungeon on the Planeptune side. Taking in the view, I give a resolute stare to the horizon. Within a day or two we will be in Planeptune, and then I can finally give Histy the thanks she deserves. I raise my hand in front of me and peer through my fingers before closing them into a tight fist. My goal is in sight and I'm not going to let it go without a fight. Looking over to my friends we just exchange quick nods before setting off down the other side of the dungeon. Walking was quicker this time around since there was a slight, but noticeable downward slope to the path, allowing us to move a bit faster and cover more distance.

It wasn't longer than maybe twenty minutes that we ran into our first major hiccup in the dungeon. Standing right in the center of the path was a bronze scaled dragon. Dulled lines crossed up its arms and legs, scars from previous battles and what could only be thought of as victories with its proud strength evident. The wings were somewhat small in comparison to the body, so I could make out that it wasn't a flyer, making coming up with a way to subdue it slightly easier. The three of us crouched behind some foliage to come up with the plan of attack. Being the most experienced of us, IF was the one to speak up as we examined this creature.

"Alright, Cros, is it possible to form up some sort of web with those wires, something that could trip it up and force it to put way too much effort into moving?"

"Well yeah, I can loop wires around just above the ground, and then weave um into like a mesh. With that I can get it close enough where it will stop it from stepping, but you two could step on top of it. If I send wind magic through it, I could even give you a boost to do an attack from above."

Cybercon gave me a look like I was either a genius or certifiably crazy, but IF thought the plan could work. Summoning her qatars, she scanned the field to make sure there was ample room to set the trap and prepare to engage the dragon. Our friend looked worried as we still watched the monster walk around, but the absence of any red markings put my heart at ease.

"Guys, do you really think we should start fighting with an Ancient Dragon? I mean, yeah you both are incredibly strong girls, and I like seeing you guys move around in battle and everything, but come on. That thing has lived long enough that it could attempt to rival the age of the CPUs. We couldn't come up with something that it hasn't already fought against."

Her worries fell on deaf ears as IF told me to set the net. I felt we should've at least listened to Cybercon, but the glare IF gave me when I tried to speak up shut that down. She was the leader for this battle and I was just going to listen. I could tell she didn't fully trust me yet, and still saw me as just some kid she has to babysit. With a sigh I bring out my weapons, stabbing the daggers into the ground to keep them at the ready. Using the winds to create a false image, I cloak the gems in my magic, somewhat akin to a certain swordswoman in an anime Vert made me watch. I figured if a king, which I still don't understand why she was called a king but that's not important, could do it, someone with wind affinity like me could easily copy it. With the gems hidden from view, I send them gliding just above the ground. Their paths crossed, wrapped around each other, and wove together to create a thick mesh with the near invisible wires. From our angle, the sun was shining in just the right way to allow us to see the web laid out on the ground. I make sure to give plenty of slack to the strands so I could at least still move around, even if the majority of my wires were now anchored to the ground. I reserved a single wire on each hand to be open for combat, this way I wasn't completely handicapped when we begin the assault.

With a thumbs up I signal to IF that the trap was set. I didn't dare tell her how exhausted I was currently from using so much Share energy to generate the mass of wire just above the ground, less she flips and blames me for a failed encounter. The hand on my shoulder was enough to tell me someone noticed though, and the reassurance Cybercon was looking out for me was enough to push me through the drain. Looking back at her my heart sank a little. A look I've never seen on her face was staring right at me. Her eyes looked clouded over with sadness, and the happy-go-lucky smile that originally started these feelings of mine was nowhere to be seen. In its place was the mouth of someone who was trying to say something to stop someone close to them from over doing it, but the words were caught in their throat. This was a sight that killed me, but the necessity to get through this monster was apparent enough to everyone that all I could do was put my hand over hers and give a forced smile to her.

 _I don't care if we get forced back or we demolish this damn dragon. Nothing is going to make her have that face again, not if I have anything to say about it. Whatever the outcome here, I'm telling her what's on my mind, and what the result will be is what I will live with._

Letting go of her hand, I motion to Cybercon to join IF in the front. I know as soon as they step on my mesh it will mess with my Share energy, as I will need to be constantly adjusting the tautness and laxness to keep the snare intact while they dance over the wires. Both girls got into low combat stances and prepared to jump into the fray at my command. I may be taking a backseat roll here, but since my wires are the cornerstone to the strategy it was my word they were waiting on before the fight began. I took a second to catch my breath, now haggard from exertion, and added the smallest bit of extra taut to the lines to make sure the first steps don't unravel the web. With my breath and body now steady again, I give the go ahead to see how this strategy IF concocted will play out. The winds had a strange sound to them as I gave the word.

"Go!"

* * *

Both girls sprinted from our hiding spot onto my mesh, and them sweeping to either side helped distribute the load easily for me. The farther away they went from the starting point, the more effort I had to use to keep everything tight together, and the strain was making my vision blur enough to the point I couldn't aim my two remaining wires quite properly enough just yet. For now, I would have to let these two take the limelight and take the plunge when its necessary. The silver lining was it was still clear enough that I could make out the darting forms of my friends as they slashed at the dragon's tough body. Their strikes were hard and fast, aiming specifically for the spots where the scars disrupted his scale armor. Every cut that dug deeper into its body caused the Ancient Dragon to let out a pained roar, and any time it tried to recoil away it was stopped by the mesh that ensnared its feet. Already it was evident that IF's plan was a success, and victory looked like it would be simple as it didn't have any way to turn its body to strike at these two properly.

At least, that's how it started out. After a couple minutes it all went downhill, starting with a simple command from our 'leader'.

"Cros, ready to launch me?"

IF's words came with the implied 'you said you could do it so get it done' tone of a veteran fighter dealing with a mess of rookies. No wasn't going to be an acceptable answer so I used what strength I had to concentrate my wind magic under her feet. I couldn't sustain it for long, so if she was going to come down on the dragon she would need to get into the air soon. I tried to tell her everything was all set, but as I opened my mouth the beast let out a guttural roar, one that shook all of us to the core. What followed could only be called a complete failure on our part.

The dragon bent over and slashed at the mesh I created with its claws. Being made of Share energy, the wires wouldn't sever so easily, but just that was enough to anger the beast that tried to rise to the challenge. Rearing back its head, it charged up a fierce flame in its mouth. Cybercon saw this and tried to yell at me to retract all my wires, but it was too late. As the flames came flowing out, they danced along the lines I created. Not only did this make things hard for those two as they had to run out of the range to escape the blaze, but it also meant they were racing right towards me. Thinking fast I rip my gloves off and stumble backwards from the cut connection to all that Share energy now covered in fire. I fell back onto my ass right next to my daggers, and grabbing them at least gave me some energy back. Spinning them around in my hand I brace myself for when the carnage slowed down, looking for an opportunity to reverse this failure. Looking up, my vision stabilized for a second, allowing me to see that both IF and Cybercon were able to retreat to safety outside the burning field, but the dragon just stood there glaring me down. I barely had time to react when it rushed at me…

* * *

 **[Cybercon's chance…]**

The flames raced along the ground where Cros set up the mesh, and the heat made it hard to even breathe as I jumped back to escape burning to death. Gripping my daggers tighter, I shoot a look towards IF that dripped with 'I told you so.' I knew this was a foolish plan, that we should've just waited for it to fall asleep or something and ambushed it then when we could get a killing blow instantly. She always has been a bit stubborn when it came to things though, so I couldn't completely fault IF for this mess. Now though, Cros was in danger. The wires were directly connected to her, and with the way the flames were spreading, she would be consumed in seconds…

"I won't let that happen!"

Returning my daggers to my inventory, I break into a sprint towards her. As I closed the distance I saw her remove her gloves, the obvious overexertion from using so much energy forcing her to stumble. I was so worried about her, and her smile was so pained that I knew things wouldn't work out like IF imagined. That dragon knew from the moment we approached something was going to happen, and it just lured us in believing it to be some stupid monster. I wanted to scream out when I saw Cros pick up her daggers, tell her to just run away and be safe. I didn't want to live with the thought that Vert's sister died while I did nothing to prevent it, and the dragon that surprised everyone with a massive burst of speed seemed to try and bring my fears to life. Now wasn't the time to lose myself in worry, she was in trouble and I was the only one in the position to save her.

I had a skill I haven't told anyone about. The last time I used it, the rebound from the energy usage caused me to be unconscious for a whole day. I vowed when I woke up to not use it lightly, and hold onto the knowledge only to protect someone I cared about. Back when Nepgear lead the assault to save the CPUs in the Gamindustri Graveyard, I came close to using it, but my heart held me back. It wasn't that I didn't care for everyone there, they were my precious friends, but something told me that then wasn't the time to unleash it. That situation didn't exist now, the only thing on my mind was that nothing could happen to Cros while I was around. Not only did Vert trust me with her safety, I didn't want to see her smile disappear.

 _Oh. So that's it…_

I somehow let out a soft laugh at the realization. This exact scene played out similarly back in that battle, when CFW Magic had Uni pinned down. Nepgear broke free of the magical chains holding her back and defended the black CPU Candidate. As she struck down Magic, she said a sentence that surprised most of us, and caused Uni to start tearing up out of delight.

" _I won't let you hurt the girl I love!"_

I could feel the seals on my inner power breaking. My rage reached a boiling point, and the markings on my skin spread more. Bolts wrapped around my sides and across my eyes. The stylized moon and circle on my shoulders glowed a bright yellow along with all the others. Back in the Ultradimension when I went on a quest with that world's Noire, part of this power was released in the same exact way, saving her from an Ancient Dragon. This time though, I'm throwing open the gates. The bolts grew closer together in the center of my stomach, and in the space where they would've touched glowed a howling wolf's head. This "Awakening" was just a precursor to the fury this dragon would experience if it laid a single scale on Cros.

I picked up speed as I circled in front of the girl I...

* * *

 **[The maiden in peril…]**

The dragon closed in faster now. From one corner of my eyes I saw IF pulling out a gun and pelting the dragon with bullets. The pistol did little to even distract the monster as it seemed to glide across the ground towards me. I could've sworn I heard Cybercon say something, as off the other side I saw her speeding towards me. At first she seemed to be moving a step slower than the Ancient Dragon, but now her body was glowing, and she was now moving three steps faster. About 20 feet from where I stood I saw her bring her daggers back out, and at that moment everything seemed to move in slow motion. Well, relative slow motion, because my friend was fast enough to look normal speed compared to the sluggish dragon now.

She rounded the bend and slid in front of me. I didn't even realize I fell onto my knees and was sit back on my calves. Looking up at her, she looked over her shoulder at me. Her eyes were glowing with some power, and a mixture between rage, relief, and some other emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on were swimming around the emerald sea. She flashed me a smile, and I could see her canine teeth were now more pronounced. She turned back to the dragon and readied her daggers to intercept the charge. She yelled something at the beast, and in the excitement I must have misheard what she said. My heart though truly believed my ears were correct and started racing as my knight came to protect me.

"Look here bastard. There's no way in hell I will let you lay a damn finger on someone I care so much about!"

That was when I could tell, this battle was over, and that me and Cybercon had a lot to talk about…

* * *

 **[The raging beast…]**

 _I made it._

Looking behind me I saw Cros fall to her knees. She was putting up a brave front and after I intercepted the creature running right at her the relief took over her body. A smile was all I needed to give her to show her everything was going to be alright. This thing would have to get through me if it wanted to hurt her, but it wouldn't live that long. IF was about halfway now, panic made her steps be misplaced and she was stumbling every few feet. Glaring at the Ancient Dragon brought my rage to a peak, and I must've said something then because I heard Cros take in air quickly, but truth be told I didn't hear anything. All I saw was the dragon slow its advance slightly and it roaring in defiance of me. The Awakening caused me to roar back, and my energy spread out like a field around me that only I could see. Once the beast entered the field it was over.

"EXE Drive, set. Activate, **Black Fang Soul**!"

My energy burst passed my limit, and I rushed the monster bent on killing my friend. I started with a horizontal slash with my left hand, and using the momentum I threw a roundhouse kick before spinning around to deliver a second kick, sweeping at the legs. Finishing the spin, I gave a diagonal upward slash with my left again, knocking it into the air. Leaping after it, I deliver a flurry of slashes with kicks mixed in to fully use all my momentum for my assault. To break away, I stabbed downward with both daggers, and somersaulted into a downward kick, sending it crashing back into the earth. Still in the air, I collect the energy around me into a barrier, surrounding me in a blue light. As the energy entered my body, my muscles screamed from overuse, but it caused them to work into overdrive, breaking the limit of a normal human body. When the sphere burst, I rushed the dragon, faster than the eye could see, and delivered multiple cross slashes before disengaging to the side. While still in my increased speed mode, I drove through the monster, ripping straight through its abdomen. I skidded to a halt right in front of Cros, who was now being supported by IF.

I look over my shoulder in time to see the Ancient Dragon burst into data. I looked back at my friends as the blue shards danced around. My marks retracted and returned to normal, and all I could do was smile at Cros and IF and give them a thumbs up sign. It was the last thing I could do with what energy I had left after that move.

"Told ya I would protect you Cros…"

As I stumbled trying to keep my balance, everything slowly went black as I saw the ground get closer in my blurred eyesight…

* * *

 **[The worried heroine…]**

"Told ya I would protect you Cros…"

Her beaming smile did little to hide the extreme exhaustion she must be feeling now. EXE Drives are taxing as it is, but she accessed some sort of other power on top of it to destroy the Ancient Dragon. She looked so amazing standing there with fragments of data dancing through the sky, but I could tell it was all she could do to stay standing. My heart skipped a few beats watching everything happen, and now my fears were realized when I saw her collapsing to the ground. Shaking IF off me, I ran to catch her, but end up falling when her weight was resting on me. Sitting up I held her close, occasionally grabbing her by her shoulders to try and shake her awake. I must have looked terrible to IF with how ugly I look once I completely break down. The tears streamed like waterfalls as I desperately tried to make her okay again, and the shaky words would not be stopped as I let everything go.

"Cybercon! Cybercon, please wake up! Don't…don't do this to me… I…I can't do this without you… There's so much I need to tell you, to talk to you about, something so important to me… You can't just make me feel this way about you and then leave when I finally know what it means! I won't ever forgive you if you don't wake up… You will hear me Cybercon, and you will listen as I tell you that I love you!"

At that moment I pulled her in close into a tight hug. I never wanted to let her go after finally saying the words it took me this long to figure out. I cried for what felt like almost an hour I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up I see IF giving me a concerned look while motioning to lay the girl in my arms down. I let her on the ground, but IF instead rests Cybercon's head on my lap. Somehow instinctively, I rest my right hand on the top of her head, causing her hat to fall off revealing her messy blond hair.

"No need to lose faith Cros, your girlfriend is still alive. I know it was hard to tell in your hysterics, but if you look at her stomach you can see it rise and fall, as well as just listening to her breathing. When she wakes up let me know, I'll give you guys plenty of room to speak."

IF's calling Cybercon my 'girlfriend' sent scarlet across my cheeks and sent me into full tsundere mode. I would've tried denying the accusation, but considering my hysteric love confession moments prior my stance wouldn't hold much traction. After hearing her saying how Cybercon would be alright, my tears stopped, and I just sat there with her laying on my lap while I stroked her hair. If it wasn't for the fact we had monsters within eyesight down the hill, this would've been almost like heaven for me. My heart was still racing from the fact I actually said my feelings, and without disturbing her, I grabbed my phone from my back pocket. I was still amazed it hasn't been destroyed yet with how much action that has been going on, but I wasn't going to question it. With my free hand I sent a simple text to my sisters back at home. I know it would have a ton of explaining to be done later, but right now I typed it out and sent it. So I wouldn't be disturbed I set my phone to silent and set it on the ground. We weren't going to be going anywhere for a while, so I wanted to enjoy this as long as I could, which IF obliged by letting me know she was going to play outrider and take out some of the closer mobs of monsters.

"Chika was right, and I finally did it. I'm a nervous wreck, but I can't wait to hear Cybercon's answer!"

The joy of the moment must have made me something similar to drunk, because my boldness exploded for a short moment. With her sleeping like an angel on my lap, I bent over and kissed her on her forehead. Instantly my cheeks went red from the action, but I didn't feel embarrassed for once. This time, it felt natural, like something I was meant to do. I looked up at the clear sky, only to see 3 clouds floating above where I was sitting. Two of them seemed to start floating together, to the point where they were becoming one, while the third looked like it was leaving the group.

"Cro…s… You loo…k so goo…d to..day…"

Startled I look down to see the target of my affection now talking in her sleep. Even knocked out she finds a way to get my brain messed up and my heart going nuts. With a smile I poke her face as a way to show my approval and embarrassment from that statement, which ends up somehow with my hand in hers as she slept. I felt bad for IF doing all the work, but I wasn't going to give this up for the world. Besides, someone had to stay with the sleeping girl to make sure nothing attacked her. For now, I spent my moment in bliss, and looking over to where my phone sat I can see that Vert and Chika were blowing it up trying to get a hold of me, but I couldn't help but let out an innocent laugh at the situation.

"I would love to talk to you two, but my hands are kinda tied right now… So let me enjoy cloud nine for a few minutes, I'll take all your chewing out later in exchange."

Letting out a lighthearted sigh, I looked on to the horizon, and the view seemed to get slightly brighter with the thought of finding out how my little episode will play out. Of course, that also assumes that I will have the courage to outright say it again when she wakes up, and if I can say it before IF says a word. While I don't think she will say it before me, I didn't want to take the chance.

 _As soon as you wake up and we can find some time alone, I'm saying it for the second time, so don't you dare miss it this time Cybercon._

* * *

 **First off, I want to give a huge apology for the delay on the chapter. My computer stopped working soon after posting chapter 15 and I only just got my new one in the mail on Friday. I wanted to make this a longer chapter, but if I didn't stop it here I know that it would be twice as long as it stands now, and I didn't feel like having a quick jump from 4k to almost 9k words. Hopefully I can get things back on track now and get another chapter out sooner to make up for the missed time. I really hope you guys enjoy this one though!**

 **For those who have been patiently waiting, thank you for your support still, the thought of people wanting to read this makes me love writing. Thank you all for reading and I hope to see you all next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17: Secrets Revealed

I cursed at the sky when the sun broke through the clouds. Time was a complete mystery to me at this point since I couldn't remember when I fell asleep. Everything seemed like it was happening incredibly fast, while also being mind-numbingly slow at the same time. It was at a perfect equilibrium where I didn't want to get up. It wasn't until I realized I was laying down next to a bush that this feeling changed. The last thing I remember was sitting on the ground with the girl I fell for sleeping on my lap. I give a pout to no one at all when I see my bliss was taken from me, and busy myself with morning stretches in an attempt to wake up completely. It was awfully quiet, something that confused me since we were in the middle of a dungeon. Looking around I notice two figures fighting on either side of me a few meters away. IF was fighting in a very sloppy manner, which meant she probably didn't go to sleep last night. Her strikes used way too much effort for the outcome she was attempting, and her movements were sluggish. The other way showed Cybercon moving like she had the energy of twenty people flowing through her, slashing away all the monsters in her path with lightning quick strikes and fluid movements. Thinking she was in good shape to handle cleaning up our retreat if anything happened, I figured to help out the lone guild agent in pushing forward. I made sure that our camping supplies were in order before rushing off.

IF was taking so long in each engagement that more monsters were spawning in in between bouts. She was about to get jumped by a pair of Kupokitties when I sent my gems sailing through them. During my sleep I was able to reaccumulate my Share energy back to full, and now I was back to my standard level of strength. Anchoring the pair of gems that I sent to take those out, I spin my wires back to send me flying in that direction. I land behind IF and form up with her back-to-back. I could tell she wasn't in her right mind completely because my presence startled her slightly, and caused her to almost fall over in recoil. A stifled laugh escaped my mouth from her reaction, but I slid my arm behind me to steady her.

"Sorry for cutting in IF. Looks like you need a dancing partner and I have nothing but time on my hands. Mind if steal a round from you with these lovely dates of yours? I promise not to break them too much for you. Go and relax a bit got it?"

My answer was a look of confusion, followed by sudden realization that she could actually go rest. Probably the last of her energy was used as she sprinted back to where we were stationed, and I could see Cybercon was standing by our camping gear waiting for everyone to catch up. While distracted by the smile shining down on me from higher on the hill a newly spawned group of Kupokitties and Healing Dogoos tried to get the jump on me. Letting out a sigh loud enough that my companions could probably hear me, I send out my gems to eliminate the entire group, paying little mind to their tiny cries as they shatter into data. A small smile crept onto my face at the fact that I could actually do something this time aside from being dead weight. I turned back to my friends who seemed to be deep in conversation, so I figured I would put myself to work. I yell up my intentions to the pair.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but I'm gonna go on ahead and clear the path! Take all the time you need, I need to stretch a bit after yesterday!"

I smile and wave before running off down the path. Whatever that is between them looks like it will take a while, so I throw my arms behind my head and interlock my fingers. Casually walking into danger sounded like the right thing to do as a main character after all…

* * *

 **[Gamindustri's Gust of Wind…]**

 _Damn, this lack of sleep is catching up to me._

I feel embarrassed having to be saved by Cros. Not only did I almost kill her, but I wrapped her and CC2 up in my own personal problems without their consent. I stumble back up the hill to where my reliever was sleeping, welcoming the opportunity to lay down and at least rest my body if not my eyes. This was the only time I ever regretted getting this coat a size bigger, the weight seemed much more on my tired legs. The short walk took forever, but the relief was wonderful when I finally sat down. Looking down where I was, Cros seemed to be having fun. I knew she was strong after fighting those giant Dogoos the other day, but it was kind of saddening to see her make short work of foes I was struggling with moments before.

"Gotta give the kid credit though, she knows her way around the battlefield. Makes me proud to still at least hold onto my Leanbox citizenship."

"You sure chose a weird way to show it though yesterday…"

The acid in those words was a bit less than I deserved. Looking the other way, CC2 was standing over me, arms crossed with a completely indifferent look on her face. Back during the war on ASIC, she told me about her EXE Drive, and the toll it took on her body. After this I promised to try and keep that a last resort if I could avoid it, but I did the exact opposite this time. I bit my lip as I struggled to come up with the words to say that could possibly try to make things clearer, but the only things that came to mind were "I'm sorry." It was far passed the point where that was a valid response.

"Look, CC2. I… I messed up, alright? I had some history here, and I let my emotions get the better of me. I ended up getting you mixed up with it, and what was worse I got Cros involved. With the power of a CPU Candidate I thought the battle would've been a snap… I didn't even consider the strain on her body when she's technically not even 2 months old yet. Next time though I-"

"There's not going to be a next time, got it?"

With that remark, one that cut me off and stopped my train of thought that I thought was going well, she looked me dead in my eyes. For once, I felt fear from a friend. Her eyes burned with an unbelievable rage hidden behind a stone cold stare. Sweat began beading up on my neck, like most sane people would when face to face with a person who could become the embodiment of death. I knew CC2 had feelings for the girl, but I didn't realize they were to this extent. All familiarity was dropped in her next declaration, and Cros yelling at us that she was moving ahead was the trigger of a long conversation. A flat tone snapped me straight awake.

"You are going to tell me everything right now IF. I gave my word to Lady Vert, and I said it in her Basilicom in front of Chika. I am bound by the True Goddess to ensure Cros's safety, and anyone that puts her in danger will be swiftly removed from this world. My feelings for her are just fuel for that blaze. We aren't moving from this spot until you explain what the hell went on back there."

For emphasis my interrogator put her hand on my shoulder, and flashed a smile at me that rivaled even Iris Heart in its venom.

"Got it?"

I took in a deep breath to steady myself and to prepare for my speech.

"Got it. Alright CC2, it started about five months ago…"

* * *

"Come on Iffy, Nep-Nep said we shouldn't take too long with this trip. All we had to do was deliver some supplies to Noire"

The voice of an angel broke me out of a stupor I was in for the entire trip. The pink haired maiden beside me gave me a concerned look as I shook off what was ailing me. She still wore the white woolen sweater she always sported, and this particular one was the one she wore when we first met. The woolen sleeves that were detached from the shirt started just below her shoulder, and went down to her wrists, held up by little draw strings with a puff ball at the end. Her plaid skirt that was _just_ short enough gave a nice splash of red to her outfit, matching quite nicely with her red-orange eyes that make me lost every time I look into them. Black stockings came to just above mid-thigh, lined with pink lace and making a perfect area where just enough skin was showing between her skirt and the stockings. Over those, she had leg warmers matching her sweater that covered from her ankle to the middle of her shin, and below those were white nurse shoes. As usual, her hair was held back with black headband that had a white C on it, one to match the pink on the bag she wore on her black belt. Her black-banded choker with a cute pink heart was there as always, but she also wore something else over it that always made me smile to see.

"You know Compa, I always love seeing you wear that necklace."

"Well of course silly, it's the one you gave me for our year anniversary after all!"

After our mess with Rei Ryghts and the Seven Sages, I did something I never thought I would do. I confessed to Compa, the girl I was head over heels for since I met her back in that damned Monster Cave. A few months ago today marked a year of our relationship. To mark the occasion, I went out and got her the most beautiful necklace I could find. Truth be told, I had my eye on it since I started calling her my girlfriend, but I needed to save up for it. Many times Nep offered to spot me the money, but it wouldn't feel right. It was a simple necklace, a gold chain with a ruby inlaid heart locket at the end. Inside there was a spot for a picture, and on the other side I had it engraved. The picture was an obvious choice, it was one we took together on our first date together, which just happened to be a ball to celebrate Gear and Uni's engagement. She wore a cream colored dress, one that sported a _very_ low neckline which ended up falling to a spot that just covered her ample chest enough to maintain a PG rating, with a white crowning edge along the fabric. Her pearl choker with a bright orange star matched the white headband and orange flower she wore for the occasion. Around where her stomach was, a string of pearls ended, and following them up led you right back to, well, you have an idea where.

I wore a simple black tuxedo with my blue Guild agent cloak draped over my shoulders. To match my date, I had an orange boutonniere pinned to my lapel. We were sitting down as close as two lovers could be, and she was leaned over enough where her head was resting on my left shoulder as she wrapped her arms around me. I couldn't move my arms, so I just bent at my right elbow and held onto her hand as I rested my cheek on the top of her head. The smell of her hair was that of the flowers she wore, and it took all my strength to not look down at the obvious treat I had right next to me.

 _Alright IF, get back on track here. I told you to explain the reasoning behind your stupidity with that dragon, not to rub it in how happy you are with your girlfriend._

 _Fine, fine CC2, this was important to the story so calm down. And put that dagger away please!_

Normally when I'm working for Nep, I take a formal request through the Guild, but for whatever reason, she wanted this one done off the books. I don't know why she is trying to hide her relationship with Noire, everyone from Lowee to Leanbox knows about it already, their disappearance at their sisters' ball was evidence enough for that. But with a brain such as Nep's, one could only imagine what her real thoughts were when she told me to take Compa on a trip to Lastation to deliver a package that smelled oddly of pudding. I was tempted to open it a few times, but my better half stopped me every time. Why she couldn't just call up Noire and had her fly Planeptune to spend time with her is beyond me, but again, they think their relationship is a big secret still.

 _IF, you're ranting again…_

The trip there was uneventful for the most part, just the normal monsters that come and go. In fact, there were actually less monsters than normal on the road between the two nations, possibly in part due to the strengthening ties between them. It was slightly unsettling as a Guild agent. My training has taught me that there are two problems you can have in a dungeon. First, when there are too many monsters, which is often remedied by kill quests that help thin numbers a bit. Second though is a bit harder for us to fix.

When there are not enough or even any monsters…

This happens a few times, often due to clerical errors in quest issuing. Most kill quests have a set number of listings, so that we don't have an influx of hunters and crazy monster fighters going out to eliminate the problem. If the secretaries aren't paying attention, a quest may be left open when the quota of accepters is met, leading to overkilling. The other event that causes this is what is scaring me the most, as I don't remember seeing any kill quests within Jet Set Range in a few days.

The weaker monsters get killed off or run away when an unbelievably strong one is in the area…

This is why my mind has been wandering while walking with Compa. I can't get the feeling something terrible is right around the corner, but I also don't want to worry her. I give a smile to her to try and ease her worries, and my complimenting her necklace was the easiest way to get there. Grabbing hold of her hand I try to hide my light blushing, an act that always gets an adorable giggle out of her. Drawing in close she wraps her other arm around mine, squeezing it into her chest and resting her head on my shoulder. The fact she is slightly taller than me makes this look incredibly awkward from the outside, but of course she didn't care.

The wind was calm so I offered to take a break since we have been walking for a couple hours now.

* * *

The sun crossed over to the other side of the sky when I opened my eyes, signaling it as afternoon. The weight on my arm of a certain angel still sleeping on me made it hard to move, so I just laid there and watched over her. The gentle rise and fall of her stomach lulled me back into a dozy state, and I almost fell back asleep. Almost was the key word there…

A sound that was much alike to an explosion erupted from the dungeon farther in, the direction we had to travel of course. Compa jumped up from her spot, allowing me to sit up in time to catch her as she through her body at me. She was terrified, the shaking wouldn't stop, and the best I could do was wrap her up in my arms and hold her until her breathing steadied. When she pulled away I tried to give her a comforting smile to keep her spirits up.

"Iffy, I'm scared. Do you think we should go back to Lastation? I'm sure Nep-Nep won't be mad if we take another day to wait."

"That might be the best plan for now, at least let the Basilicom know about what we just heard. We can call Nep while we are there and let her know what's up. Might have to tell the guild to close off the dungeon to adventurers for a while, whatever made that noise must be the reason so monsters are around."

My work got in the way of my thoughts again, and a piece of information I failed to mention to my girlfriend was just released. Tilting her head to the side, her face seemed to adopt her usual look of aloofness that I originally fell for, but by now I know she is sharper than she lets on when it comes to me. I braced for impact as I knew she would go directly to the main problem without much beating around the bush. The innocence in her voice was worse than any amount of venom or hatred ever spat at me, because it made me feel guilty for misleading her.

"So you knew something was off this whole time, but didn't tell me Iffy? How come? You usually tell me everything."

It was a critical hit. That little phrase, "You usually tell me everything," cut like a knife. I couldn't possibly bare the though she really thought that honestly, when there is so much I keep from her to ensure her safety. I look away a second to collect my thoughts and catch my heart, and when I turn back her face didn't change at all.

"I know, but Compa, I didn't want you to worry. I never want you to face danger around me, and I thought keeping it to myself would make things easier on you. I'm sorry for not saying anything. I would ask you to forgive me right now, but we have work to do back in Lastation, and then I need to try and manage a last minute reservation for dinner. I'll treat you to that place you were eyeing as we left."

With a quick smile and a grab of her hand, I pull her up and begin heading towards our previous position. At first she seemed to stumble, but after a few steps, Compa caught back up to my pace and ran beside me. She must have started to have fun again because an infectious smile spread on her lips, and I almost tripped as the sight made me legs go weak. As the slope going downhill got steeper, we had to slow down a bit or risk rolling down uncontrollably. Within the hour we were back at the entrance to the dungeon, and were shocked as we heard another loud explosion not far from where we were not long ago.

"Come on Compa, let's hurry back before that thing has a chance to find us."

She gives me a quick nod and we set back on the path leading to Lastation proper. A couple monsters here or there popped up, the usual fodder around these parts, but we made quick work of them as I cut a path through the forest. It seemed like everything was going smoothly on the way back, and we put enough distance between us and the dungeon that we slowed our pace a bit to try and regain some of our energy. Being normal humans and not CPUs, we had to actually watch this since Nep seemed to have limitless energy at times. I slow my own pace to match Compa's since I was leading a bit, and interlocked my fingers into hers. I'm not sure which surprised her more, me being so forward or the fact I didn't look embarrassed for once doing this lovey-dovey stuff with her. She quickly reversed it into a beaming smile and we just walked like that for a while, just enjoying each other's warmth in the shaded path. This moment was wonderful, until I tried to speak. _I should just not talk at times like this, something always happens when I do._

"So Compa, did you figure out what you wanted for din-"

As I opened my mouth to ask an innocent question, my phone went off. Mind you I have nine all along my belt, but this specific one was reserved for emergency Guild business only. I flipped it open to read the message, cursing for two reasons as I did. The first, I had the childish idea that had I not spoke, this wouldn't have happened. It was the world punishing me for ruining a good moment. The second was the message that came up. I nearly threw my phone had Compa not put her worrying hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath as I tried to explain the situation calmly.

"Compa, what I'm about to say is going to sound slightly crazy, but I need you to listen."

"What is it Iffy? You sound kinda scared right now… Can I do anything?"

Her innocence made this even harder on me.

"I need you to go the rest of the way to Lastation on your own. When you get there call Nep and tell her this. The Guild has issued an emergency quest to stop the rampaging monsters that just showed up in Jet Set Range. We apparently just got out of there before it went to hell. After you get in hold of her, go to the Basilicom and tell Noire and Uni. Their help will make this quick and painless."

The words "on your own" hit her hard. She knew what that meant, but I could tell she didn't want to believe it. Her eyes quivered as she fell into a state of minor shock from what I said. She clutched her necklace as she asked the question she already knew the answer to.

"You mean; you have to go back Iffy? But what about dinner? You promised me we would go out tonight…"

I pull her in tightly. This was purely a defense for the tears that were about to fall from her eyes, ones that would kill all want to fulfill my duty as a Guild agent. It tore me apart knowing that I not only caused this, but that I can't comfort her because I need to do my job. A shudder rippled from her body, and that was enough for me to know she was stifling her sobbing to try and appear strong for me. She would always do this when I was about to go into danger, which is why I stopped telling her when these emergency quests happened. It hurt me to see her in so much pain, but her strong act was so much worse.

"I'm sorry Compa… I need to do this, it's my job. I promise I will be back in the morning to come get you. Without a doubt I will come back to you, I always do remember? I need to go now, so please go there and stay safe."

* * *

Without giving her time to speak, I let her go and ran off to the dungeon again. I didn't hear her calling after me, so I could infer she was still in shock. I fought back my own tears as I ran, cutting anything in my path down without mercy. I had to stand at the entrance for a bit to catch my breath, but a roar emanating from the mountains sent ice through my veins. I grasped my left arm and pulled it in to steady myself, and glared up the mountain in an attempt to steel my mind. I know that every step will feel heavy, but if I want to provide for my girlfriend, I need the money. I must have stopped paying attention, because I now found myself standing on the peak, looking over both sides of the Ridge. Another roar snapped me out of my stupor, and looking towards the Planeptune border I saw a mob of monsters that were not there before. Kupokitties were fighting amongst themselves with Horsebirds stamping around and flattening the earth. In the middle of the mob was the source of the roar, and the thick fog oozing from its body must have been causing the monsters to go insane. Standing there was an Ancient Dragon, but something seemed off. Instead of the just usual bronze color the scales had, it was alternating between the standard color and jet black with red claws on the tips of the wings. Every time it would switch to that strange coloration the fog seemed to swirl a bit faster, and I could see it was pouring out of its maw. It lumbered along, red eyes scanning the Ridge for movement and obviously trying to listen for approaching targets. To make sure I wasn't seen, I ducked behind a tree and sent a quick but quiet voice message to Compa on my phone.

"Compa please hurry and inform Noire and Nep about the situation, it looks too much for me to handle on my own. If worst comes to worst, I will slow this thing down to buy time for the CPUs to handle it. Let me know when it's been done so I can plan a course of action. I can take down the trash mobs easily, but the dragon here is different. I gotta watch my back around it."

I peer around the trunk to keep an eye on the monsters' movements. The fog must have had some sort of poison in it, as the grass and even the earth itself withered and died as it touched them. I could see it had a similar effect to the monsters, because their bodies seem to be decaying slightly as they fought each other in madness. I regret not having a mask now to filter out the air, because as it stands I'm going to have to fight that thing holding my breath to not fall victim to that gas's effect. I almost jump as my phone vibrates in my pocket, and seeing it was a message from Compa raised my spirits slightly.

"Iffy, I caught Noire heading back into the Basilicom and told her about what was happening. She is rallying some guards and trying to get in touch with Uni to act as backup for her. Nep-nep said she was going to come as soon as she breaks away from an event Histy made her do to raise their shares, and Ge-ge is missing too. Most likely she snuck away with her wife somewhere. Help is on its way!"

Hearing that helped steel my resolve, soon my backup will arrive and that threat will be taken care of. My thoughts went to what I was going to be treating Compa to later tonight when everything took a turn for the worst. I looked back at the target, only to see the corpses of the random monsters burst into black bits of data, corrupted from the fog or miasma, and a distinct lack of a dragon. Buffeting beats of wings caused me to fall back and look towards the sky. In the air above that spot the dragon was flying, and the scariest part was its eyes were locked onto me. It reared its head around and let out a bellowing roar, enough to drain the color from my face and causing me to drop my phone to the ground. I had to slap myself to bring my focus back to the situation, and I called my weapons to my side. My left hand held one of my usual Qatar, while the right I drew my gun. It was a simple firearm, a silver body with leather inlays on the grip, with a leaf embossed into the hide. I flicked the safety off and took aim. From this range, the shot would be hard to hit, but I only wanted to get its attention to kite it away from the border. I had twelve shots before I had to reload, so I needed to make sure each counted and it stayed plenty angry with me. I burst out from behind the tree and make my way down the road leading down from the peak. For a while it just hovered in place and watched me, but after I got closer it slowly drifted towards where I was once.

"Like hell you are"

I fired my gun at it, and the bullet spun its way into the flesh of the beast. It was only a shot in the foot but it was enough to anger it, stopping it in its tracks. I ran to where the ground leveled out and fired again. This time the bullet bounced off the hard metallic scales that covered its body, but it also caused it to start flying directly at me. I cartwheeled out of the way as it tried to drop on me, and jumped back as the thing's tail swung towards me. Holding a stronger stance, I fired two more shots towards its face, aiming for the monster's eyes. The first one was a bit to the right of one eye, just barely grazing its snout. The other connected the center of the pupil, causing it to reel back in pain. The roar it unleashed was one full of pain and anger, and it clawed at the destroyed eye in an attempt to regain its sight. With the right eye gone, I knew to attack from that side, making this battle slightly more in my favor. I circled to my left to try and stay in the blind spot, firing twice more to try and find weak spots in its armor. With half my ammo gone before I had to reload, I returned my gun and pulled out my other Qatar. Out of my six shots, I found out the armor covered most of its body, but was weaker under the arms and lower on its chest, and much stronger on the arms themselves and on its face. During my rush around it I being to turn into it when I notice it lost me, and began to beeline towards it. I ready an attack when I see the head snap to the peak and the wings spread to take flight. Confused I looked up, and saw pink hair bobbing down the path.

"Don't you dare hurt my Iffy!"

I tried to call out and tell her to run, but the buffet of wind that came from the wings silenced me and knocked me down. Once it took to the air it rushed at Compa, and I had no time to react. I fumbled trying to get my gun out again, but before I could it had its claws barreling down on her. It was a sweeping motion, but I could only watch in fear as her body was torn off the ground and flung towards me. Rocks followed, coming from when the claws tore into the earth around where she was standing, and I had to dodge those as I tried to get into position to catch her. Her body crashed into me, sending me sprawled out on the ground, but with her on top of me. There wasn't much damage, but the back of her shirt was torn, and three shallow slash marks shone red where the dragon made contact. My mind went blank when she wouldn't open her eyes or respond to my cries. I feared the worst as tears streamed from my eyes and feel onto her expressionless face. I didn't even notice when the thing flew away as Noire and Nep came onto the scene…

* * *

"And Compa still hasn't woken up from that. She sleeps all day and even with Gear using her healing magic, those slashes won't fully close. Gust came by one day and said that the claws of an Abyssal Wraith Dragon held a powerful toxin that slows blood clotting, but it must be something else causing the skin from stitching back together when the blood has already stopped flowing. When I saw the dragon I didn't even think twice, and instantly went back to there. I'm sorry CC2, I lost my mind and put you in danger to enact revenge and try to cure Compa. When I didn't see the colors change I should've known, but I was stupid…"

I turn my eyes away from the tanned girl as I finish my story. The pain of reliving that time was enough to bring tears to my eyes once again, and I had to stop a couple times to settle myself before continuing. I want to look at her to see her reaction, but the fear of seeing that face contorted in rage again was too much. My companion got up from where she was sitting and began walking down the path that Cros cleared for us. She didn't give me any sort of clue to how she was feeling, but instead just spoke in a flat tone.

"Look, I won't slight you for trying to avenge Compa. If I was in the same situation I would most likely be in the same state of mind. What will not happen easily though is my forgiveness. Your job may be to do these Guild quests, but mine is to protect Cros. Don't make my job harder. Now come on, she's been calling for us for a little while now."

* * *

 **[The impatient Candidate…]**

"Alright Mr. Writer, what's up with that title huh? Sheesh, I'm not that impatient…"

I lean against a tree while I wait for IF and Cybercon to catch up. Jokes with some strange voice narrating parts aside, the fight here was uneventful. Only a few trash mobs here and there, and killing them game me plenty of Credits to spend in Planeptune for my sisters. As the pair from the peak made their way down, I could see that something was up. Cybercon led the way with a cold expression on her face, but also one that was tinged with sadness and sorrow. Behind her, IF refused to look at the leader, and the way her eyes looked she seems to have been crying. _I'll have to ask what went down later on._

As they got closer I opened my mouth to try and say something, but a dejected girl in front of the one that is obviously hurting just shook her head at me. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to be learning it just now, but with how my friends were looking I steeled myself to make them feel better. Tilting my head, I look at the sky to try and come up with something to ease the tension. The only things that came to mind involved me acting the fool, so I began to think of my routine as I fell in behind IF. Our walk to the Planeptune entrance to the dungeon was incredibly boring, since Cybercon dispatched of everything so quickly I had no time to ready my own weapons. I was about to spring my plan into action when a voice from above caught our attention.

"Hi IF! How are you Cybercon!"

Looking up, we spy a girl with flowing pink hair floating down on lilac wings. I didn't need to be told that this was the Planeptune CPU, so I figured to take the initiative to introduce myself.

"Hi there, you must be Neptune! Gotta say you seem much more mature in your HDD form than your human form from what I saw during one of Vert's meetings. I'm Cros, CPU Candidate of Leanbox, and I've come to visit you, Nepgear, and Histy for a bit. By the way, if you are here, why didn't Nepgear come to meet us too?"

The stifled laughter that turned into a roar that came from my two companions, that now were on the ground holding their sides, made it clear I just made a fool of myself in front of everyone.

 _Well at least they are feeling better, jerks…_


	18. Chapter 18: Balance of Power

"So, what? Are you just gonna stand there and laugh at me for no reason or fill me in here?"

I was still kind of left in the dark on why my friends were laughing, and the sympathetic look Neptune was giving me was not helping me feel better in the slightest. Scarlet lit up my face, and spinning around to look at the two girls still on the ground in hysterics caused my short ponytail to swing around and land on my shoulder. I'm sure if my sister was here, she would fawn over how "cute" I looked or something, blushing wildly with my hair in a way unlike how I would do it. I didn't mind how IF was reacting, I expected it from a person I barely knew and came off as kind of a bitch anyway, but it kinda stung when Cybercon followed suit. For now, I guess I'll let it slide, mainly because seeing a light filter around me distracted my train of thought.

Standing where Neptune was previously, a girl I never had seen before was brushing off the bottom of her dress. She had long pinkish purple hair that went down to her waist, with a few strands of her bangs coming down over her eyes slightly. Her eyes were a shade darker than her hair, and shone with a sweet innocence that helped me feel at easy instantly. Around her neck was some sort of necklace or choker, white with a solitary pink button on the side of it. Her dress was simple, a cross between a sweater and a sailor style uniform. It was white with thick purple around the edging and collar, with thin white lines striped through them. She had a yellow scarf under the lapels, held on by a clip that shared the same colorization as the dress, but with a stylized N on the front. She had some sort of white case strapped to her leg in the middle of her thigh, and pink and white stripped socks came up to just underneath it. Her boots almost looked slightly too big, but carried the same design as her dress, down to the buckles with those Ns again, only in pink.

Stepping forward, she crossed her arms behind her back. Her smile never left her face, but a faint tint of displeasure silenced the two fools on the ground. Cybercon was the first to get back up, and after brushing off her back she began scratching her cheek nervously. She felt bad, which was enough for me to relent any anger I had. IF, however just dusted herself off and strode towards this mysterious girl. I thought it was Neptune, but from all the video calls I've seen my sister be on with the CPUs, never once have I seen this one. She must have been Neptune's older sister, but that couldn't be right. All the CPUs had little sisters, the CPU Candidates. Vert never mentioned any older sisters though…

"I'm sure this wasn't the way you expected to run into the CPU Candidate of Leanbox, eh Gear?"

 _Gear? Who is this Gea-…._

I bring my hands to my face and crouch down. I tried to hide from the world in embarrassment. _How could I possibly show my face in Leanbox again if this gets out? Vert's gonna be the laughing stock with an idiot sister!_

I feel a slight wind brush across my cheek has someone moved my ponytail off my shoulder. The sudden feeling of two hands on my shoulders brought my eyes up, and I nearly fell back if not for the added support. Looking back at me were two lilac eyes with a beaming smile. My face burned red for a different reason this time, and my heart skipped a beat or two. Like a fool my mouth hanged open for a minute, but this image before me apparently didn't mind. The pieces fell together in my mind, and the conclusion was enough to make me start laughing at myself. I took a deep breath as I wiped my eyes. I must've looked hysterical there, but considering the circumstances it was an easy conclusion to come to. I met her eyes once again and flashed my best smile in return.

"Gosh this is embarrassing. I didn't expect Neptune's _little_ sister to look older. Let's pretend that never happened and get going with new introductions, okay?"

A small laugh escaped from her lips with a slight nod. Reaching her hand out, she helped me to my feet. After steadying myself, I took a slight step back and threw my arms behind my head, interlocking my fingers. Apparently this pose struck a chord with this girl because she chuckled even more before giving me that same smile again.

"My goodness, you remind me of my sister a bit there. As you might have guessed, I'm the CPU Candidate of Planeptune. My name's Nepgear, and I hope we can be great friends!"

With a slight sigh, I drop my arms to offer up a hand to the girl who should be a rival to me. It was impossible not to be okay with these events when she talks like that.

"Well, when you say that it's hard to refuse. As I said before, I'm Cros, CPU Candidate of Leanbox. I may not know as much as I should about Gamindustri just yet, but while here I'm in your care."

It was weird. She grasped my hand for the handshake, but that contact caused something strange to flash in my head. While soft, I could feel tough callouses on her skin. For some reason, I could feel a deep sadness or fear in the wind surrounding her, and the lilac happiness had streaks of black tarnishing it. On top of this, I felt the compassion of someone who has essentially been to hell and back, and is struggling to stay sane when she wants to break down. I cast my eyes downward as our hands part, as reading her wind wasn't something I should've done without her permission. Since I woke up from my coma, my affinity with wind magic has gotten to the point where I guess I can read auras in the form of wind. The issue is I have to be in contact with the person, and our feelings have to meet in the right way for it work. Whatever happened with IF's head earlier that caused her to react that way to the dragon was enough to block me from reading her, and I wasn't fully aware of this ability with Cybercon. I couldn't stay looking like this for long though, else Gear will start to worry. Doing my best to hide my questions, I give her a smile before we are interrupted by a couple coughs. Turning around we see my companions giving us two different looks.

IF was giving off the aura of someone who was completely impatient. Her arms were crossed, and she was leaning her weight back onto her back leg. She wore a smile, but it was slightly annoyed in nature. The taping foot really brought her whole image together. Looking over at Cybercon, I saw something I never expected. I couldn't read her expression, but I could tell she wasn't thrilled at what she was seeing. Normally I would dwell on this to send my mind into a spiral like she always does, but with us so close to Planeptune I'm distracted from that train of thought. The task I needed to do while here came back to the forefront of my mind, which caused me to turn back to Gear without a thought.

"Hey, I hate to ruin this great moment and all, but could you bring us to your Basilicom? I kinda have some business I want to take care of with Histy."

"Sure thing! It's quite the walk though, so if you prefer we could just fly. I'll carry IF while you get CC2!"

Without a second between us, both me and Cybercon reacted in the same way. Flushed faces did little to hide our thoughts. In unison we spoke up on the matter.

"I think walking would be better!"

* * *

 _Okay maybe we should've flown…_

I lean against a tree to catch my breath. Gear wasn't kidding that this would be a walk, but I never imagined it to take this long! Maybe because we were closer to her Sharicite than my own, or it's just that the combined strength of being bonded to Lastation as well gave her the full effects of one, but our guide seemed unaffected by the trek, much to all of our dismay. Cybercon handed me a bottle of water to drink, a gesture I took without question. Neither of us noticed the fact that she took her fill from the bottle first before handing it to me at first, else I would've devolved into a blubbering mess. It wasn't until after I finished the water I realized that, and hid my blushing face from her. I return the bottle without looking directly at her and walk over to Gear. Behind me I could hear IF talking to Cybercon, about what I couldn't make out however. I stood next to our new party member, but it was almost like she paid no mind to me. Her eyes were set on something in the distance that only she could see. To try and make the break a bit more pleasant, I set my hand on her shoulder to strike up conversation. My only issue was I had to pull my hand away immediately from the dread I felt. It snapped her out of her stupor, but I gripped my hand like I got burnt because of how it felt. I tried to hide my fear, but Gear was to quick and saw it right away.

"What's wrong Cros? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I-it's nothing Gear. I just felt a chill go down my spine for a second and I shocked myself on your shoulder. I'm perfectly fine!"

I feel like I'm being left in the dark. I look back at IF and Cybercon, meeting their gazes at me. When they saw me staring back, they averted their eyes. Something was going on that no one wanted to tell me, and it was creating this air of dread around us. I would get to the bottom of this, but first things first. I needed to see Histy. After that, maybe she could help fill me in here. Sighing, I cast my gaze down the path towards our destination. According to Gear, it would take another couple hours to reach Planeptune by foot, but she was gracious enough to remind us that flying would only take a few minutes now. I was about to take her up on the offer when we heard a loud scream coming from where I was looking.

It must have been a familiar one to her, because Gear wasted no time in transforming and bolting down the path. Sensing the urgency in the situation I followed suit. I kicked off the ground and flew in that direction, telling my friends that I was going to catch up and give her some backup. For whatever reason, I felt weaker than usual making my way towards the disturbance. I could tell where it was, largely thanks to the new clearing created in the forest. Trees laid on their sides and leaned on each other, while the earth reached out with grasping hands, large craters caused pillars of rock and dirt to jut out here and there. Scars crisscrossed the field, the edges burned from some type of high temperature attack. I couldn't see who made the screaming, they must've left not long after the carnage began, but standing in the smoke I could see the cause of this mess.

The lilac Candidate dropped her weapon, a sword with a weird style handle that I couldn't make out at this range, but as it fell to the ground it shattered into data. Her wings seemed to distort and crack as she floated to the ground, bursting in a similar fashion as her feet touched the ground. I had to shield my eyes as the light signaling her transformation back into her human state bore through the air. Her shoulders slumped as she turned my way to walk from the devastation. As she got closer, I noticed her hands were clenched so tight I could've sworn I saw something drip from them, and she kept her eyes cast downward with a pained expression on her face. She must not have realized I was standing there because when she looked up and saw me, she fell backwards, letting me see the open scars on her hands and the tears streaming down her face.

"Whoa, Gear, are you okay?"

I broke my transformation and knelt down beside her. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and I could see faint scars on her arms. She seemed scared, almost like she either didn't recognize me, or that I wouldn't recognize her. As I reached my hand out to reassure her, she slapped it away, and the short instant our skin touched caused my vision to black out for a second. Ignoring all pretense of danger in the present time, I wrapped my arms around her to try and calm her down. The contact sent bolts of pain down my spine, as I was experiencing sensory overload trying to not focus on her aura. This was all happening while Gear struggled in my grasp, fighting me like a wild animal that was rampaging. When the struggle stopped, she went limp, and the tears and sobs doubled as she finally let herself go. I don't know the situation, but she's under a lot of stress. Without saying a word, I held her until our friends caught up, which led to IF switching places with me at our lilac goddess's request. As I stepped back, I was motioned by Cybercon to come closer to the trees, probably to give the two some space. We reached the line when she stopped and spoke up.

"IF told me the circumstances of what you just saw. Really I should've expected it, but it plays in to why Nepgear reacted the way she did just now."

Shocked, I stayed silent. I was sure that she would explain herself so I just waited until she spoke up again. When she turned around, I could see that she was struggling. She was trying to carefully pick the right words for this, and it was getting increasingly hard for her to do so. She wanted to tell me, but something inside was fighting to keep it a secret.

"Look, I know how much you pride yourself on your strength, and that you want to protect Vert at all costs. But don't look for more, you could end up broken like Nepgear is… You know she got married to Uni a while back correct? I'm sure your sister mentioned it once."

"Yeah she told me all about it. How now Gear and Uni are connected to the Nation Sharicite crystals in both of their nations. Unlike me, or the twins in Lowee, it means they basically get the full power of a CPU through that connection so long as Planeptune and Lastation's Shares maintain an equilibrium right?"

Cybercon nodded. She drew in a deep breath and stared me directly in the eyes. Her expression grew dire as the words she spoke gave context to the dread I felt from Gear.

"Now, as CPU Candidates, their bodies are at a state where when they are required to step up to the status of CPU should something happen to their sisters, their true power will unlock and they would change accordingly. Since both Nepgear and Uni now have this influx of power in bodies still only suited for that of a Candidate, its wreaking havoc on them. Nepgear has had trouble controlling it for some time now, while Uni was given time to train alone to not suffer this rebound. I know that within her heart she wants to control herself, and go learn how to, but another part of her is fighting because she doesn't know if Neptune would be alright alone, knowing how she is. As such, she constantly is fighting back her strength. Her power is on par with all of the CPUs, and in its unrefined state it can be even greater at times. She knows that, and is scared to hurt everyone around her. As such, she closes herself off, and only throws up an image of the girl she was to keep everyone at ease. It's the reason she didn't say much when we ran into each other earlier."

This was a lot to take in. The words spun around in my mind, and I struggled to make sense of everything. A girl who I thought was my equal was revealed to be stronger than my sister. This made me think two things. The first, that should anything happen, it would take all three of us in Leanbox to stop an attack from Planeptune or Lastation, and even then we aren't guaranteed victory. The second, that I need to get stronger myself. Gear is hurting because she can't control herself, and I know that at her level I won't be able to spar evenly with her, unless I use _that_. Part of me knew that Cybercon was telling me this as a warning though, that I shouldn't worry about catching up with her and instead focus on refining my power as it is now. I had to shake the thoughts out of my head as I only needed to think of one thing.

"Well if she's in so much pain I guess I should try to help in any way possible. Call Vert and tell her I'm going to get a bit reckless, so she should be ready to hear from Planeptune."

Before she could object I turned around and ran back to where Gear and IF were sitting. The former just regained her composure, which made my heart hurt a bit for what I was about to do. I would probably be hated for it, but the easiest way to get her to learn how to control her power is to completely drain it. The simplest way would be a battle with someone who won't go down in a single hit. Swallowing hard I made my way next to the two. I could almost feel IF's glare boring through me as I asked what would normally be a simple request, had it not been for the circumstances.

"Hey Gear, I know this is probably a bad time, but I need you to do something for me. I was hoping if we could have a match, no holds barred. Should only be fitting that we test our strength to see who the stronger Candidate is."

"Now look here Cros! I don't know what Vert has told you it was like on the mainland, but that is out of line!"

Not surprisingly IF was the one to bring up protest. I tried my best to keep my usual composure in this situation, but I could see that if I was to make any progress with my own version of immersion therapy for Gear, I would need to flip a switch. Chika always told me I was too nice at times, and that when it was time to get serious, it would sometimes call for a bit of ruthlessness. I let out a sigh, one that I made sure to inflect plenty of displeasure in to draw out a bigger reaction. Steeling myself, I looked up. I drained all emotion from my face, and stared coldly at the two here. It may be completely out of character for the main heroine like me, but it was time to play the villain. Somehow, I was able to put enough venom in my voice to get even Gear to take notice.

"I wasn't talking to you IF. I don't have time to waste with someone not strong enough to control herself. She obviously isn't worth it if she can't keep up with little old me. I probably should just leave you both here and make my way somewhere else. I'm sure that Histy and Neptune would understand that I didn't want to make myself wait around with someone who is just a burden to them…"

I could feel the anger flare up in the Guild agent. My provocation was working on my intended target too, as her face began to harden as well. Me calling her a burden wasn't in the original idea, but in the heat of the moment it slipped out. If it did the trick though it was worth the sinking feeling I got.

"That's it! I won't sit around being insulted like this, and I sure as hell am not going to let you get away with saying that about Gear!"

The brunette summoned her pair of Qatar. She would've lunged at me to impale both into my chest had it not been for the lilac haired girl that put her arm out to stop her. I think my true intensions got through to the girl, for in her eyes I saw determination and pleading. She wanted me to help her, but she wasn't going to back down and get beaten by the new kid easily. She wanted to fight me as much as she wanted to fight the power inside of her right now.

"Hang back IF. This is my fight, and I think it's time for Leanbox to know its standing in Gamindustri."

With that data spiraled around her outstretched hand. When it converged into her palm, a peculiar looking sword was pointed at me. It was almost diamond shaped near the hilt, but it focused to a point about the length of her body away. The hilt was circular in shape, with the same stylized N that was on her clothes emblazed on it. The strange thing about the blade was that it hummed with energy. It wasn't a standard blade that I was used to dealing with, but seemed to be made of plasma or something close. This wasn't going to be an easy fight, even before we factored in the strength difference. She drew it back, blade inches from her face, tip aimed directly at my chest, and both hands gripping the handle. Her expression was one of anticipation, of a girl who wanted to fight but was at the same time scared to. This was all hidden behind a mask of stone, shining only in her eyes. If I was going to have any chance here, it would require me to get the advantage early on and maintain it.

Kicking off the earth, I sprinted headlong towards my opponent. I summoned my weapons and laid a trap. While concealing six of my gems, I sent them out into the air around us. I made sure to keep those wires lax enough that they would retract and extend as needed here, to keep my mobility at a constant level. I readied my daggers as I ran, preparing to guard against any attack Gear would attempt in my charge. As expected, she rushed to meet me, stabbing towards me like a fencer with her plasma blade. I saw this coming a while away, so I dropped down into a forward roll to get underneath the attack, and kicked out to sweep at her legs. This stumbled her, but she didn't outright fall like I wanted her to. Using my momentum, I hopped back onto my feet. Before she could recover, I rushed Gear again from behind. I managed to land two blows, a spinning horizontal slash that went into a stab with both my daggers, before she spun around with her own attack. I was able to put up one of my blades in time to glance off the blow, but the force alone sent me flying back a few feet. I was slightly faster than her, but in raw strength she was leagues ahead of me, which meant I needed to lay down a few cards in order to make sure my plan was successful.

"Quite the arm you got there, Gear. Would've probably stung like hell if that actually made contact. My arm is tingling a bit from taking that."

"You aren't so bad yourself Cros. I think even Noire would have trouble keeping up with you, but given your training with CC2 its expected you fight like her. I guess it's about time I got serious!"

As she said this she charged me with a speed I haven't seen from her yet. I barely had time to bend backwards to avoid the slash that was coming at me, but doing so got me a downwards blow to my chest in return. I flattened onto the ground, all the wind forced out of me and my vision flashed white. Even against the Variants I haven't witnessed this level of strength. She must've thought I was down and out, because I heard her footsteps grow fainter as I laid on my back. Clawing at the ground I painfully sat up, and catching my breath I saw her strolling towards IF and returning her sword. This pissed me off. The path she took though was right in the middle of my trap, so without any thought I poured in enough energy to trigger the attack on her.

"How dare you treat me so lightly Gear! EXE Drive set, Activate. **Glacial Pressure!** "

Fighting in an open field was my biggest advantage. From the six gems fixed in a hexagon around where Gear stood sprouted an equal number of raging twisters. Controlling their speed, I quickly dropped the ambient temperature in each one to below freezing, causing the water droplets to flash freeze into tiny shards of ice. By causing the twisters to collide into each other with Gear as the center point, I send the tiny needles driving into her. I could hear groans coming from not only the surprise attack, but the damage I am now inflicting on the stronger fighter. With a snap of my fingers I cause the top part of the maelstrom to drop the temperature even more, forming a giant icicle that hung in the air. Spreading my arms out to my sides, I dissipate the winds, an act that revealed that her legs were now frozen to the ground from the repeated assault. In an instant, the giant piece of ice fell to the ground, colliding with the immobile Gear.

As the dust, well, as the ice crystals cleared up I tried to look at where she was standing. I could barely make out the impact site, but what was certain is that she wasn't there anymore. My legs started to wobble. As I dropped to one knee to rest slightly, I could feel immense heat flying over my head, and behind me was a large explosion that kicked up a large amount of dust. The concussive force sent me sprawling forward, and as I looked back while propped up on my elbows, my eyes grew wide. A large crater about three meters in diameter, and equally as deep if not more, now laid where I just was. Even as a Goddess, that would have dealt massive damage if not outright kill me had that been a clean hit. Turning my head to the sky filled my vision with lilac wings painted against the sun. I could barely make out the charge before a second beam flew towards me. Scrambling I barely rolled over my shoulder enough to only take another blast of air from the explosion. The force kicked me into the air and my vision blurred a bit. _I'm in serious trouble if I don't do something right now._

"So this is what it's like when you get serious Gear… Looks like I need to do the same now. **Access**!"

Not even the surge of power from activating my HDD made me feel confident in this fight. I was still exhausted, if only slightly more energized. Spreading my own wings, I rushed the girl. I couldn't see me using my wires at the moment working to my favor, so I focused on closing the gap and shutting down the beam she had. Instead of retreating to maintain distance, she lunged to meet my charge, the blade of her gun reeled back to slash me away. _Wait, blade on a gun?_

I skidded to a halt and used what momentum I had built up to slide around the attack. I glued my eyes to the blade, taking in the shape and length. It was a blade about as long as her other one, but this one was connected to a piece that resembled a dragon's head. It jutted out the bottom jaw, and in the center of the mouth sat the barrel of that damned gun. The handle was such that it could easily be used as a slashing weapon, but still held onto the traditional look of a gun. Had the handle been the proper way for a sword, she could get a few extra lengths on her swing, but the blast wouldn't be accurate at all. The speed though that she came at me worried me more. She was fast in her human form, but this was unbelievable. I barely had time to think before she changed course and did a tight U-turn to charge me again. Her decent helped her build some added speed, and I honestly blanked for a second on what I should do. Thinking mainly on saving myself, I loaded my attack to intercept her. I didn't need a brace since she was coming at me, so instead I just sent wires churning around my claws. There was no way my **Storm Impact** wouldn't at least slow her down…

At least, until she swung her sword and cleaved through the wind. Her face was expressionless, like this was just something that was going to happen anyway. Without a word, she used my confusion to whip around and slam her sword into me, sending me careening down towards the ground. The impact forced all the air out of my lungs, and caused me to cough up some blood in the process. My sight went white as I settled on my back, and as it cleared I saw the girl standing over me with the gun pointed at my chest. The tip of the blade sat right between my ribs, inches away from piercing me. Looking down at me, all she did was give me a sigh and closed her eyes as she shook her head.

"Are we done with this farce Cros? I have an idea of what you were trying to do, and its thoughtful you would try to help me like this, but why put yourself through it all? It's just something I have to live with, and when Gamindustri needs me, I will be ready with my power under control. Until then I will continue as I have, and keep this pain hidden from everyone else…"

Trailing off she tried to step over me to walk back to where IF and Cybercon were now standing. I had to laugh at myself for thinking I could hold my own here. It was a real joke to consider even for a second that the rookie CPU Candidate could stand toe-to-toe with a supercharged one. Not to mention how many more years of combat experience she has over me, there was nothing I could do. I lifted my hand to the sky, peering at the deep blue that surrounded my vision through my fingers. I sighed when I thought about the long road I was about to walk down in trying to get stronger. As I stood up fear took a hold of me.

Out of nowhere, a dark feeling tightened in my chest. Nausea reared its head deep in my gut, my entire body shaking uncontrollably. Slowly, everything around me started to turn black, and a burning sensation spread itself through my veins. Cybercon started running towards me when she saw something was wrong, and she got maybe halfway between our starting positions when I collapsed. I almost could see myself from above, like an out of body experience or something.

"Oh come on writer, you can't kill me off like this! We aren't that far in and I still have so much to do!"

Like always, I try to joke my way into feeling better, but I couldn't shake this dread hanging over me. I watched my body shamble its way back to standing, and then activate HDD once more. I tried to stop myself from moving, to keep myself from doing something insane. Nothing happened. Not a thing could be done. All I could do was listen to something as it sent chills down my spine.

 _Now you will see what you should've done young Cros. This is your chance to dominate the girl._

My voice caught in my throat when I saw my body rush Gear without warning.


End file.
